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THACKER'S 

GUIDE  TO  CALCUTTA. 


BY 


Rev.  W.  K.   FIRMINGER, 

M.A.,    F.R.G.S. 


WITH  11^  FULL-PAGE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


CALCUTTA : 
THACKER,  SPINK   &  CO. 


1906. 

[^All  rights  reserved.'] 


CALCUTTA  : 
PRINTED   BY   THACKER,   SPINK    AND   CO. 


TO 

THE  RIGHT  REVEREND  FATHER  IN  GOD 

J.  E.  C.  WELLDON,  d.d., 

Canon   of    Westminster    and  formerly 
Bishop    of    Calcutta    and    Metrojmlitan    of   India, 

This  Little  Book  is  Dedicated 

IN 

Grateful  acknowledgment  of   his  unfailing  kindness 

TO 

THE  AUTHOR. 


705144 


PREFACE. 


In  writincT  the  present  work,  I  have  kept  in  view  t-he 
needs  of  Calcutta  residents  who  wish  to  familiarise 
themselves  with  the  story  of  their  great  city  and  of 
visitors  who  will  naturally  ask  to  be  shown  objects  of 
interest  peculiar  to  the  place.  It  has  not  seemed  worth 
either  my  reader's  while  or  my  own  to  enter  into 
descriptions  of  those  commonplace  buildings  of  public 
utility  which  may  be  found  in  every  city,  or  to  send 
the  stranger  in  search  of  what  he  can  see  every  day 
in  his  native  land.  It  will  be  observed  that  the  present 
book  is  an  humble  imitation  of  the  justly  famous 
guide-books  of  the  late  Augustus  Hare.  Following  the 
example  of  that  admirable  cicerone,  I  have,  whenever 
a  place  or  an  event  has  been  already  well  described, 
preferred  to  quote  the  author's  words  rather  than  to 
appropriate  his  matter  and  by  re- setting  his  phrases 
make  it  appear  to  be  my  own. 

To  many  persons  I  am  under  a  deep  obligation  for 
advice  and  valuable  suggestions.  It  would  be  difficult 
to  say  how  deeply  I  am  indebted  to  Lord  Curzon  of 
Kedleston  for  the  kindly  interest  he  has  taken  in 
my  work.  In  the  midst  of  his  almost  overwhelming 
duties,  he  found  time  to  read  through  the  bulk  of  my 


VI  PREFACE. 

proof's,  and  he  has  both  saved  me  from  repeating  many 
of  those  time-honoured  blunders  so  dear  in  local  tradi- 
tion, and  also  made  suggestions  which  cannot  but 
increase  the  value  of  my  little  book.  Lord  Curzon's 
thorough  knowledge  of  the  history  of  our  city  and  his 
zeal  for  the  preservation  of  its  historic  monuments  are 
so  well  known,  that  it  is  unnecessary  for  me  to  say  how 
much  a  work  which  has  had  the  benefit  of  his  criticism 
has  gained  thereby. 

To  the  late  Mr.  C.  R.  Wilson,  m.a.,  Doc.  Lit.  (Oxon), 
of  the  Education  Department,  I  am  also  under  a  grave 
obligation,  not  only  on  account  of  the  use  to  which  I 
have  placed  his  valuable  writings,  but  also  for  inform- 
ation generously  bestowed  while  he  was  still  with  us, 
and  for  many  a  stimulating  conversation  about  the  past. 
I  have  also  to  express  my  thanks  to  Mr.  J.  Golden  Bell, 
of  the  Calcutta  Police,  for  opportunities  of  visiting 
some  obscure  places  of  interest  with  comfort,  and  for 
securing  for  me  the  traditions  of  the  oldest  native 
inhabitants.  To  Mr.  E.  Madge,  of  the  Imperial  Library, 
and  to  Mr.  Dias,  of  the  Imperial  Records  Department 
I  also  owe  a  debt  of  gratitude.  To  the  Hon'ble  Mr. 
Cable,  of  Messrs.  Bird  &  Co.  and  Messrs.  Birkmyre 
&  Co.,  I  am  indebted  for  their  courteous  permission  to 
examine  ancient  leases  of  their  respective  properties. 
To  Major  Alcock,  f.  r.  s.,  ll.d.,  i.  m.  s.,  the  Director  of 
the  Indian  Museum,  I  must  offer  my  cordial  thanks  for 
much  valuable  help.  To  my  friends,  Mr.  C.  F.  Hooper, 
Mr.  Edgar  Faulkner,  and  Mr.  J.  Hart,  who  accom- 
panied me  on  my  expeditions  along  the  river  side,  I  am 
also  indebted. 


PUEFACE.  Vll 

After  friends  I  must  inentioii  books.  The  charm  of 
Busteed's  Echoes  of  Old  Calcutta  is  known  to  readers  ia 
many  lands.  The  works  of  Sterndale,  Hyde,  Hunter, 
Wilson,  Hill,  Long,  and  the  Selections  from  the  Calcutta 
Gazettes  have  been  of  the  greatest  use  to  me.  I  must 
here  acknowledge  the  generosity  of  Mr.  C.  W.  McMinu, 
late  I.  0.  S.,  who  kindly  allowed  me  the  use  of 
some  exceedingly  rare  volumes  of  the  Asiatic  Journal^ 
and  of  Mr.  Ellis,  of  the  Calcutta  Detective  Service,  who 
presented  me  with  a  copy  of  Sterndale's  History  of  the 
Calcutta  Collectorate.  Mr.  Biickland's  Bengal  under 
the  Lieutenant-Governors,  and  Mr.  A.  K,  Ray's  useful 
sketch  of  the  history  of  Calcutta  (Census  report)  have 
been  exceedingly  useful.  The  volumes  in  the  Calcutta 
Review,  the  Bengal  Rarkaru,  and  Hickey's  ill-fumed 
newspaper  have  been  placed  under  contribution. 

WALTER  K.  FIRMINGER. 

Royal  Societies'  Club, 
St.  James,  London, 
lUh  Septemher,  1905. 


CONTENTS. 


PART  I. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Page. 

Introductory            ...                              ...  ...  ...  1 

Was  Calcutta  at  one  time  a  "  Hill  Station  ?  "  ...  ...  1 

Geology  and  Mythology                   ...  ...  ...  3 

The  Portuguese  on  the  Hnghli               ...  ...  ...  4 

The  English  corae  to  Bengal                   ...  ...  ...  5 

"  The  Mid-day  halt  of  Charnock  "  ...  ...  7 

The  Founder  of  Calcutta      ..                 ...  ...  ...  7 

The  Move  from  Sutanuti  to  Calcutta    ...  ...  ...  9 

Early  Difficulties              ...                ...  ...  ...  U 

The  Rival  Companies  and  the  Rotation  Government  ...  12 

Social  Life       ...               ...               ...                 .  ..:  13 


CHAPTER  II. 

In  search  of  the  Old  Fort  and  Black  Hole 
The  Old  Fort 
The  Black  Hole     ... 

The  Holwell  Memorial  ... 


15 
15 
19 
23 


CHAPTER  III. 


The  New  Fort  William 

St.  Peter's  Church 
Outram  Institute 
Pattern  Room 
Armoury 


26 
29 
31 
31 
31 


CONTENTS. 

Page. 

Statue  of  Sir  Willicam  Peel   ...                ...  ...  ...  SI 

Eden  Garden                            ...                ...  ...  ...  3» 

Rowing  Club  Boat-House     ...                ...  ...  ...  33 

Babu  Ghat             ...                ...                ...  ...  ...  33 

Volunteer  Head-Quarters     ...                ...  ...  ...  34 

ChandpalGhat      ...                ...                ...  ...  ...  34 

Gwalior  Monument                ...                ...  ...  ...  35 

Prinsep's  Ghat       ...             ,  ...                ...  ...  ...  35 

Coolie  Bazaar         ...                ...                ...  ...  ...  39 


CHAPTER  IV. 

The  Esplanade          ...  ...  ...  ...  ...    40 

The  High  Court     ...  ...  ...  ...  ...    41 

Portraits          ...  ...  ...  ...  ...    43 

The  Town  Hall      ...  ...  ...  ...  ...    44 

Portraits          ...  ...  ...  ...  45,  46 

Government  House  ..  ...  ...  ...    46 

Portraits  and  Statues  ...  ...  ...  49—58 


CHAPTER  V. 

From  Park  St.  to  The  Jain  Temples,  and  back  again       ...  59 

Statue  of  Sir  James  Outrara            ...                ...  ...  59 

United  Service  Club        ...                ...                ...  ...  59 

The  Ochterlony  Monument  ...                ...                ...  ...  60 

New  Market     ..                ...                ...                ...  ...  61 

Opera  House  ...                ...                ...                ...  ...  61 

Grand  Hotel  ...                ...                ...                ...  ...  61 

Theatre  Royal                  ...                ...                ...  ...  61 

Calcutta  Corporation      ...                ...                ...  •.  61 

Roman  Catholic  Church  of  the  Sacred  Heart  ...  62 

Union  Chapel                   ...                ...                ...  ...  62 

American  Episcopal  Methodists'  Church        ...  ...  62 

K.  C.  Sen's  Meeting-house  of  Brahmo  Samaj  ...  63 

Rajendra  Mullick's  Palace               ...                ...  ...  63 

Govt.  Normal  School      ...                ...                ...  ...  63 

Free  Church  Institute    ...                ...                ...  ...  63 

Jain  Temples         ...                ...               ...                ...  ...  64 


CONTENTS.  XI 

Page. 

Christian  Missions  ...  ...  ...  ...    67 

General  Assembly's  Institution      ...  ...  ...     67 

Christ  Church  ...  ...  ...  ...    67 

Hospitals  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...    68 

Colleges  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...     68 

Presidency  College  ...  ...  ...  ...    68 

Hare  School    ...  ...  ...  ...  ...    68 

Sanscrit  College  ...  ...  ...  ...    68 

The  Free  School  and  St.  Thomas'  Church  ...  ...    69 

University  Senate  House  ...  ...  ..    69 


CHAPTER  VI. 

The  ViLiAGB  OF  Chowringhi  ...  ...  ...  ...  71 

St.  Paul's  Cathedral              ...  ...  ...  ...  73 

Lumsden's  Horse  Memorial  ...  ...  ...  77 

The  Bishop's  Palace  and  some  other  Houses  in  Chowringhi...  79 

The  Great  Bell                 ...  ...  ...  ...  79 

Army  and  Navy  Stores  ...  ...  ...  ...  81 

Bengal  Club  ..  ...  ...  81 

The  Bengal  Asiatic  Society  ...  ...  ...  ...  82 

Staunton  Chess  Club       ...  ...  ...  ...  83 

Freemason.s'  Hall                     ...  ...  ..  ...  85 

The  South  Park  Street  Cemetery  ...  ...  ...  87 

Rose  Aylmer  ...                ...                ...  ...  ...  89 

Sir  William  Jones            ...                ...  ■-.  ...  91 

Cleveland        ...                ...                ...  ...                ...  93 

The  North  Park  Street  Cemetery          ...  ...                ...  94 

The  Lower  Circular  Road  Cemetery      ...  ...                ...  94 

Bishop's  College                       ...                ...  ...                 ..98 

The  Martiniere      ...                ...                ...  ...                ...  99 

Some  Mahomedan  Tombs     ...                ...  ...                ...  102 

The  Presidency  Jail                ...                ...  ...                ...  104 

Editor  Hicky                    ...                ...  ...                ...  105 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Southern  Calcutta                 ...             ...  ..  ...  107 

Tolly's  Nullah                   ...                ...  ...  ...  107 

Hydraulic  Lifting  Bridge                ...  ...  ...  107 


Xll  CONTENTS. 

Page. 

Kidderpore  Bridge          ...  ...  ...  ...  108 

Hastings  Bridge               ...  ...  ...  ...  108 

Kidderpore  Docks            ...  ...  ...  ...  109 

Garden  Reach                   ...  ...  ...  ...  109 

King  of  Oude's  Palace    ...  ...  ...  ...  113 

St.  Stephen's  Church              ...  ...  ...  ...  113 

Kidderpore  House                   ...  ...  ..,  ...  115 

Old  Orphanages               ...  ...  ...  ...  117 

The  Zoological  Gardens         ...  ...  ...  ...  119 

Belvedere                ...                ...  ...  ...  119 

The  Agri-Horticultiiral  Society  ...  ...  .  124 

Hastings  House     ...               ...  ...  ...  ...  125 

Alipore  Bridge                 ...  ...  ...  ...  127 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Calcutta's  Oldest  Christian  Churches,  the  Neighbour- 
hood OF  Dalhousie  Square                ...  ...  ...  128 

St.  John's  Church            ...                ...  ...  ...  129 

Bishop  Middleton            ...                ...  ...  ...133 

St.  John's  Portraits        ...                ...  ...  ...135 

Old  Tombs      ..                 ...                ...  ...  ...  137 

St.  Andrew's  Kirk                  ...                ...  ...  ...140 

The  Old  Mission  Church       ...                ...  ...  ...141 

The  Roman  Catholic  Cathedral             ...  ...  ...  143 

Greek  Church  of  the  Transfiguration  on  Mount  Tabor        ...  145 

Armenian  Church  of  St.  Nazareth  ...  ...  145 

LallGirja        ..                ...                ...  ...  ...  148 

Lall  Dighi       ...                ...                ...  ...  148,  153 

Bow  Bazar      ...                ...                ...  ...  ...  149 

"  Four  Bottle  Men "       ...               ...  ...  ...155 


CHAPTER  IX. 

DUM-DUM  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  156 

St.  Stephen's  Church  ...  ...  ...  ...  153 

The  Cantonments  ...  ...  ...  ...  159 

The  Small  Arms  Factory      ...  ...  ...  ...159 

The  Old  Bengal  Artillery  Officers'  Mess  ...  ...  160 

Lord  Clive's  House  ...  ...  ...  ...  160 

Fairley  Hall  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  160 


CONTENTS. 


Xlll 


Page. 


CHAPTER  X. 

The  Upper  Portion  of  the  Straxd 

...  161 

The  Bank  of  Bengal 

...  162 

The  Imperial  Library     ... 

...  163 

The  Howrah  Bridge 

...  164 

The  Royal  Mint     ... 

...  164 

Mayo  Hospital 

...  170 

Nimtollah  Burning  Ghat 

...  170 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Howrah  and  Sibpur 

...  171 

The  Railway  Station 

...  171 

Churches 

...  172 

Old  Bishop's  College 

...  172 

The  Botanic  Garden 

...  173 

CHAPTER  XII. 


The  Indian  Museum 
The  Asoka  Gallery 
The  Museum 


175 
175 

180 


Kalighat  ... 


CHAPTER   XIII. 


206 


PART  II. 

CHAPTER  I. 

River  Trip  No.  1.— Sekampore  and  Barrackpore 

.  211 

Bally     ... 

.  213 

Rishra  ... 

.  214 

Mohesh 

.  215 

The  Alartyn  Pagoda 

.  215 

Aldeen  House 

.  217 

Serampore 

.  218 

Carey    ... 

.  221 

XIV  CONTENTS. 

Page. 
Serampore  College  ...  ...  ...  ...  223 

Barrackpore  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  226 

Barrackpore  Park  ...  ...  ...  ...  231 

Tittaghur  Paper  Mill      ...  ...  ...  ..    233 


CHAPTER  II. 

River  Trip  No.  2.— Bandel,  Hughli,  Chinsurah,  Chander- 

nagore,  etc.          ...              ...  ...  ...  ...  235 

Jute  Mill         ...                ..  ...  ...  ...  237 

Ishapore  Powder  Factory  ...  ...  ...  241 

Ghirety                   ...                ...  ...  ...  ...  243 

Hughli  Jubilee  Bridge           ...  ...  ...  ...  245 

Hughli  and  Bandel                 ...  ...  ...  ...  246 

Tribeni  Ghat  ...               ...  ...  ...  ...  249 

Imambarah     ...                ...  ...  ...  ...  249 

Chinsurah               ...                ...  ...  ...  ...  250 

Old  English  Factory      ...  ...  ..  ...253 

The  Armenian  Church   ...  ...  ...  ...  253 

Chinsurah  Church           ...  ...  ...  ..  253 

The  College    ...               ...  ...  ...  ...  254 

The  Old  Dutch  Cemeteries  ...  ...  ...  254 

Chandernagoi-e      ...                ...  ...  ...  ...  256 


CHAPTER  III. 

Trips  from  Calcutta  ...  ...  ...  ...  260 

to  Darjeeling         ...  ...  ...  ...  ..    260 

,,  Moorahedabad  ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  261 

„  Berharapur        ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  262 

„  Cossim  Bazar    ...  ...  ...  ...  ...262 

,,  Puri                     ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  262 

„  Burdwan            ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  262 

„  Parasnath          ...  ...  ...  ...  ...  262 

,,  Oolooberia,  etc.  ..  ...  ...  ...  263 


ERR  A  TA. 


Page   18.    3rd  line  from  bottom, /or  "  Roshell  "  read  "  Roskell." 
„      27.    12th  line  from  top, /or  "  learns  "  read  "  fails  to  learn." 
.,      30.     r2th     „      from  bottom,  after  "  July  "  add  "  1822." 
,,      31.     18th     „     from  top, /or  "  never "  read  "  seldom  if  ever." 
„      42.     1st       „      of    2nd    foot-note,   for    "High    Court"    read 

"  Town  Hall."    Delete  "  Sir  "  before  Norman  Paxton. 
„      4.3.     7th    line    from    top,    for    "  Sir    Martin    Grant "    read 

"  Sir  Martin  Archer  Shee." 
2nd  line  from   bottom,  for    "Boroughs"    read     "Bur- 
roughs." 
„      45.    5th  line  from  top, /or  "Knott  "read"  Nott  (1782— 1845)." 
,.      53.     To  list  of  Portraits  add — 

Lord  Elgin  (Viceroy  1894—9).     By  Sir  G.  Reid. 

Lord  Lansdowne.     By  Prank  Holl  and  Hugh  Riviere. 
.3rd  line  from  bottom, /or  "  Nos.  40  to  44"  read  "  46—47." 
,,  66—67.  These  pages  were  inserted  here  by  the  gentleman   who 

undertook  the  proof-reading   of  Mr.  Firminger's  book 

to  supply  some  lost  pages  of  the  MS. 
,,      69.     Last  line, /or  "  Waiapur  "  read  "  Waiapu." 
,,      71.     10th  line  from  top,  for  "  Apjohn  "  read  "  Upjohn  " 
„      74.     16th        „        .,      /or  "  16 "  read  "  61." 
„      85.     5th  ,,        „     for  "  Hume "  read  "  Home  " 

„      87.    2nd         „        „     /or  "  Dale "  read  "  Wale."  ' 
„      92.    17th        „        ,,     /or  "  general  or  on  "  read  "  generation." 
,,      94.     7th         ,,        „      for  "  Morrat"  read  "  Mouat " 
„      95.    2nd         „        „     /or  "1700"  read  "1800." 
,,    104.     7th         ,,        ,,     /or  "  Birjoo "  read  "  Birjee." 
,,    104.     18th        ,,        ,,     /or  "Dacca"  read  "Murshidabad." 
,,     106.    6th         ,,        ,,     /or  "  by  no  means  "  read  "  not." 
,,    111.    8th  ,,        „     for  "  Robinson  "  read  "  Robison." 

,,    119.    Delete  last  sentence  on   page  and   quotation   on  top  of 

p.  120. 
,,     122.     4th  line  from  bottom, /or  "  Stewart  "  read  "  Steuart." 
,,    123.    5th        ,,         top,    /or  "  John  "  read  "  James  Austin." 
„    132.     7th        „  „       /or ''Partheni"  read  "  Parthenio." 

3rd        ,,  bottom,  for  "  Martin  "  read  "  Martyn." 


11  ERRATA. 

Page  139.    About  middle  of   page,    for  'Richard    Barwell "  read 
"  William  Barwell." 
„    143.    12th  line  from  top,  for  "  Uidney  "  read  "  Udney." 

18th        ,,  ,,    for  "  Martyn  "  read  "The  martyr," 

„    145.    6th  ,,         bottom, /or  "  Mayor  "  read  "  Nazar." 

3rd         „  „       for  "  1724 "  read  "  1734." 

In  two  places, /or  "  Stuart  "  read  "  Steuart." 
13th  line  from  top, /or  "as"  read  "  than." 

,,    for  "  Dunn  "  read  "  Dawn." 
bottom,  for  "  Tirettes  "  read  "  Tiretta." 
top,  for  "  robes  "  read  "ropes." 
,  „    for  "  secure  "  read  "  scour." 

,  ,,    for  "  Mazagon  "  read  "  Marazion." 

.,    /or  "1706 "read  "1806." 
,  ,,    /or  "present"  read  "the  original." 

The  following  sentence  should  read  :  "  In  1632  the  Por- 
tuguese settlement  was  sacked,  and  the  Church  rased 
to  the  ground  :  but,  after  some  terrible  experiences 
at  Agra,  the  Prior  was  allowed  to  return  to  Bandel  and 
commence  the  present  building." 
254.    9th  line  from  top,  for  "1774  "  read  "  1747." 

10th        ,,         bottom,    for   "Jackariah"    read    "Zacha- 
riah." 

260.  The  hours  of  the  train  should  be  deleted. 

261.  3rd  line  from  bottom,  for  "  Kutra  "  read  "  Ketra." 


149. 

In  tv 

179. 

13th 

201. 

12th 

215. 

3rd 

216. 

1st 

10th 

217. 

23rd 

218. 

3rd 

248. 

7th 

Note  to  Part  II,  Chapter  III. 

Since  the  publication  of  this  Guide,  Plassey,  Berhampur,  and 
Murshidabad  have  been  brought  into  direct  connection  with 
Calcutta  by  the  Eastern  Bengal  State  Railway,  and  Paresnath  may 
be  visited  with  greater  facility  by  means  of  the  New  Grand  Chord 
Railway  (B.  I.  R.). 


GUIDE  TO  CALCUTTA. 


CHAPTER  I. 

INTRODUCTORY. 

I. — Was  Calcutta  at  one  time  a  "  Hill  Station?" 

The  burden  of  the  complaint  against  Bengal  is  the 
dreary  monotony  of  its  vast  plain — its  absolutely  dead 
level  from  horizon  to  horizon.  The  reaches  of  the  river 
from  Howrah  Bridge  to  Hughli  Bridge  are  famous  in 
Hindu  legend,  and  many  a  stout  fight,  'twixt  Mussulman, 
Anglo-Saxon,  Frenchman  and  Dutchman,  has  been  witnessed 
from  the  banks  of  its  rapidly  flowing  waters.  Yet,  for 
all  that,  the  average  Calcutta  man  votes  his  noble  river  a 
very  uninteresting  aflFair.  The  story  of  Admiral  Watson 
and  his  siege  of  Chandernagore  is  to  him  even  more  a  matter 
of  ancient  history  than  the  conflict  of  King  Alfred  with  the 
Danes  is  to  the  present-day  Hampshire  man.  The  dead 
level  of  the  scenery  defeats  the  interest  of  the  river.  The 
murky  river  and  often  murky  sky  are  parted  by  but  a 
thin  line  of  bank  covered  by  virulently  green  jungle,  the 
houses  of  wealthy  babus,  factories  with  tall  chimney- 
stacks,  and  temples  stand  out  ver}'  much  like  pieces 
of  stage  scenery  cut  out  and  mounted  on  canvas.  At 
sunset  one  feels  that,  with  a  good  spring  and  a  jump,  one 
could  leap  over  the  "  the  flaming  ramparts  of  the  world  " 
into  an  infinite  abyss.  Although  not  exactly  "  unpro- 
fitable, "  the  river  is  to  the  Calcutta  man  "  dull  and  flat.  " 
If,  on  a  half-holiday,  the  Calcutta  man  betakes  himself  to 
his  steam-launch,  it  is  not  to  see  sights,  but  to  catch   a 

F,  GC  1 


2  GUIDE   TO    CALCUTTA. 

breath  of  fresh  air,  if  so  it  be  that  a  following  wind  doth 
not  disappoint  him  of  his  expectation. 

It  is  certainly  hard  to  conjure  up  in  our  imagination  a 
vision  of  our  part  of  Bengal  in  the  remote  time  when  it 
was  a  hilly  country.  Still  harder  is  it  to  realise  the 
meaning  of  a  recent  discovery,  in  the  very  heart  of  the 
modern  city  of  Calcutta,  of  an  oyster  bed.  The  average 
sea-faring  man  is  inclined  to  smile  when  informed,  of  the 
plain  and  unadorned  truth,  that  in  approaching  the  Bay 
of  Bengal  he  is  sailing  his  ship  up-hill.*  So  hard  is  it  for 
common  place  individuals  to  imagine  the  miracles  of  nature  ! 
Yet  the  assurances  of  scientific  men  are  beyond  suspicion. 
From  December  1835  to  1840,  a  Committee  of  scientists 
conducted  a  series  of  "  bore-hole  operations "  in  the 
vicinity  of  Calcutta.  The  most  important  conclusions 
suggested  by  these  operations  are  thus  stated  by  Blan- 
ford  : — 

"  There  appears  every  reason  for  believing  that  the  beds  traversed, 
from  top  to  bottom  of  the  bore-hole,  had  been  deposited  either  by  fresh 
water  or  in  the  neighbourhood  of  an  estuary.  At  a  depth  of  thirty  feet 
below  the  surface,  or  about  ten  feet  below  mean  tide-level,  and  again  at 
three  hundred  and  eighty-two  feet,  beds  of  peat  with  wood  were  found,  and 
in  both  cases  there  can  be  but  little  doubt  that  the  deposits  proved  the 
existence  of  ancient  land  surfaces. 

t  *:****  * 

"  A  peaty  layer  has  been  noticed  at  Canning  Town  on  the  Mutlah, 
thirty-five  miles  to  the  south-east,  and  at  Khulna,  in  Jessore,  eighty  miles 
east  "by  north,  always  at  such  a  depth  below  the  present  surface  as  to  be 
some  feet  beneath  the  present  mean  tide-level.  In  many  of  the  cases 
noticed,  roots  of  the  sundri  were  found  in  peaty  stratum.  This  tree 
grows  a  little  above  ordinary  high-water  mark  in  ground  liable  to  flooding  ; 
so  that  in  every  instance  of  the  roots  occurring  below  the  mean  tide-level 
there  is  conclusive  evidence  of  depression.  This  evidence  is  confirmed  by 
the  occurrence  of  pebbles  ;  for  it  is  extremely  improbable  that  coarse 
gravel  should  have  been  deposited  in  water  eighty  fathoms  deep,  and 
large  fragments  could  not  have  been  brought  to  their  present  position 
unless  the  streams,  which  now  traverse  the  countrj%  had  a  greater  fall 
formerly,  or  unless,  which  is  perhaps  more  probable,  rocky  hills  existed 
which  have  now  been  partly  removed  by  denudation  and  covered  up  by 
alluvial  deposits.  The  coarse  gravel  and  sand,  which  form  so  considerable 
a  proportion  of  the  beds  traversed,  can  scarcely  be  deltaic  accumulations  ; 
and  it  is  therefore  probable  that  when  they  were  formed  the  present  site 
of  Calcutta  was  near  the  margin  of  the  alluvial  plain."  Blanford  and 
Mendicot :   Manual  of  the  Geology  o/  India,  pt.  I,  pp.  397-400. 


*  "  So  enormous,  indeed,  is  this  great  projecting  mass  of  the  Himalayas,  that 
physicists  have  shown  not  only  that  it  draws  the  plumb  line  considerably 
towards  it,  but  that  it  so  attracts  the  sea  as  to  pull  the  latter  several  hundred 
{  et  op  its  sides."     Waddell :  Among  the  Himalayas,  p.  34. 


GEOLOGY    AND   MYTHOLOGY.  8 

Summarising  the  evidence  supplied  by  men  of  science, 
a  recent  and  very  industrious  historian  of  Calcutta, 
Mr.  A.  K.  Ray,  writes  : — 

**  It  will  thus  appear  that  the  desciiptiou  of  Lower  Bengal  (including 
Calcutta  and  its  neighbourhood)  in  Barahamihira's  Brilmlsarnhita  as 
*'  Samatata  "  or  tidal  swamp,  and  the  inference  that  it  was  gradually  raised 
by  alluvial  deposits  into  a  habitable  kingdom  about  the  seventh  century 
after  Christ,  are  in  perfect  accord  with  the  trend  of  modern  physical 
researches,  while  there  is  nothing  in  the  social  history  of  Bengal,  which 
commences  with  King  Adisur,  between  the  seventh  and  the  ninth  century 
after  Christ,  that  appears  to  militate  against  the  inference. 

There  are,  therefore,  good  reasons  to  think  : — 

(1)  That  in  remote  antiquity,  gneissic  hills  stood  out  from  the  sea 
where  Calcutta  now  is. 

(2)  That  at  a  later  dat« — probably  during  the  tertiary  period — 
these  hills  were  depressed  and  a  tidal  swamp  extended  up 
to  the  foot  of  the  Rajmahal  hills. 

(3)  That  the  Lower  Gangetie  plains  below  the  Rajmahal  hills 
began  to  be  elevated  by  fluvial  deposits  about  four  or  five 
thousand  years  ago. 

(4)  That  the  extension  of  the  delta  was  from  north  and  west  to 
the  south  and  east. 

(5)  That,  near  Calcutta,  an  elevation  of  the  area  has  alternately 
been  followed  by  a  subsidence. 

(6)  That  in  historical  times  the  extreme  south-eastern  portion, 
including  the  districts  of  Khulna,  Jessore,  the  Sundarbans  and 
Calcutta,  was  not  fully  formed  in  the  seventh  century  of  the 
Christian  era,  when  East  Bengal  was  sufficiently  inhabited  to 
form  the  nucleus  of  a  kingdom." 

Census  of  India,  1901,  vol.  VII,  Pt.  /.* 

Bengal  having,  in  the  course  of  geological  events,  ceased 
to  be  a  hill  country,  mythology  came  to  rescue  it  from  the 
dulness  of  its  physical  flatness.  The  legend  of  ancient 
Calcutta  is  thus  narrated  by  Mr.  C.  R.  Wilson  : — 

"  Like  other  cities  Calcutta  has  its  legend.  Long,  long  ago,  in  the  age  of 
truth, Daksha  one  of  theHindu  Patriarchs  made  a  sacrifice  to  obtain  a  son,  but 
he  omitted  to  invite  the  god  Siva  to  come  to  it.  Now  Sati,  the  daughter  of 
Daksha,  wa^  married  to  Siva,  and  she  was  indignant  that  so  great  an  insult 
should  have  been  ofiFered  to  her  divine  husband,  and  deeply  grieved  that  such 
a  slight  should  have  been  passed  upon  him  through  her  kindred.  In  vain 
did  she  expostulate  with  her  father.  'Why',  she  asked,  is  niv  husband  not 
invited?'  'Why  are  no  offerings  to  be  made  to  him?'  "Thy  husband,'  was 
the  reply,  'wears  a  necklace  of  skulls  ;  how  can  he  be  invited  to  a  sacrifice?' 
Then  in  grief  and  indignation,  and  shrieking  out  'This  father  of  mine  is  a  vil- 
lain ;  what  profit  have  I  in  this  carcase  sprung  from  him  ?'  she  puts  an  end 
to  her  life;  and  Siva,  'drunk  with  loss,'  transfixed  her  dead  body  on  the  point 
of  his  trident  and  rushed  hither  and  thither  through  the  realms  of  nature. 
The  whole  world  was  threatened  witli  destruction  ;  but  Vishnu,  the  preserver, 
came  to  the  rescue.  He  flung  his  disk  at  the  body  of  Sati  and  broke  it  into 
pieces  which  fell  scattered  over  the  earth.  Every  place  where  any  of  the  orna- 
ments of  Sati  fell,  became  asanctuary,  a  sacred  spot  full  of  the  divine  spirit  of 

*  See  also  Fergusson  in  Journal  of  Geological  Society  of  London,  V'ol.  XIX, 


4  GUIDE   TO    CALCUTTA. 

Siiti.  The  names  of  these  sacred  places  are  preserved  in  the  garlands  of  sanc- 
tuaries. Some  of  them  are  well-known  places  of  pilgrimage,  others  areobscure 
and  forgotten  ;  but  to-day  the  most  celebrated  of  them  all  is  Calcutta,  or 
rather,  Kalighat,  the  spot  which  received  the  toes  of  the  right  foot  of  Sati, 
thatis,  of  Kali."     C.  R.  Wilson  :  The  English  in  Bengal  Vol,  I.  pp.  128-9.* 

2.    The  Portuguese  on  the  Hughli. 

About  the  year  1530,  twenty  years  after  Albuquerque's 
conquest  of  Goa,  the  Portuguese  began  to  frequent 
our  river.  In  the  East  they  established  their  Great 
Haven  or  Porto  Grande  at  Chittagong.  A  few  miles  to 
the  N.-W.  of  the  modern  town  of  Hughli  they  established 
their  Porto  Piqueno  at  Satgaon  or  Saptagram.f  The 
Sarasvati  River,  now  silted  up,  flowed  from  Satgaon, 
west  of  the  Hugnli  river,  which  it  rejoined  some  few 
miles  below  Calcutta.  Close  to  Satgaon  was  Triveni, 
whither  Hindu  pilgrims  came  by  thousands  to  bathe  at 
the  confluence  of  the  Sarasvati,  the  Jamuna  and  the 
Ganges.  The  sea-captains,  however,  would  have  been 
unwilling  to  take  their  galiasses  beyond  the  deep  pool 
which  now  forms  the  port  of  Calcutta. 

'  'So  far  the  river  was  easily  navigable  by  sea-going  ships,  but  beyond  this 
it  was  considered  too  shallow  for  any  but  country  boats.  Here,  then,  in  Garden 
Reach  was  the  great  anchoring  place  of  the  Portuguese  and  at  Betor,  on  the 
western  bank,  near  Sibpur  ;  every  year,  when  the  ships  arrived  from  Goa, 
innumerable  thatched  houses  were  erected,  markets  svere  opened,  and  all 
sorts  of  provisions  and  stores  brought  to  the  water  side.  An  immense  number 
of  galliasses  lay  at  anchor  in  the  deep  water  waiting,  while  the  small  budgerows 
made  their  way  up  the  river  past  Baranagar,  Dakshineswar  and  Agarpara 
to  the  Porto  Piqutno  at  S;ttg^ion,  and  returned  filled  with  silks  and  muslin, 
lac,  sugar  and  rice.  During  these  months  the  banks  on  both  sides  of  the  river 
were  alive  with  people  and  a  brisk  trade  was  carried  on.  But  no  sooner  was 
the  last  boat  come  back  from  Satgaon,  and  her  cargo  safely  shipped  aboard 
the  gallia-Hea,  than  they  set  fire  to  the  temporary  houses  and  improvised  houses 
of  bamboo  and  straw,  and  the  place  vanished  almost  as  suddenly  as  Alladin's 
palace  when  carried  off  by  the  genii.  Away  sailed  the  Portuguese  back  to 
Go:i,  leaving  apparently  no  traces  of  their  coming  except  burnt  straw  and 
ruined  hut,s.  And  yet  a  careful  observer  might  have  noticed  more  important 
results,  for  here  »ve  can  see  being  formed  the  nucleus  of  the  future  city  of 
Calcutta."     Wilson  :  The  English  in  Bengal,  Vol.  I.  p.  134. 

In  1565  Satgaon  is  described  by  a  voyager,  whose  experi- 
ences have  been  monumentalised  by  Haklyut,  as  a  "reason- 
able, fair  city:"  but,  faUing  a  victim  to  a  characteristic 


•  Mr  Wilson  here  draws  from  an  article  by  Babu  G.  D.  Bysack  in  the  Calcutta 
Review  for  .\pril.  1891. 
t  Not  far  from  the  present  village  of  Magra  on  tlie  railway  line  to  Burdwan. 


EARLY  EUROPEAN  TRADERS.  5 

;  freak  of  an  Indian  river,  it  was  ere  long  deserted  by 
the  waterway  to  whicli  it  had  owed  its  prosperity. 
The  result  was  the  exodus  of  four  families  of  Bysacks  and 
one  of  Sets  who  wisely  made  their  homes  close  to  these 
deeper  waters  of  the  Hughli  where  they  could  trade  with 
so  much  advantage  with  the  Portuguese  adventurers  at 
Garden  Reach.  In  the  corner  of  swampy  land,  formed 
by  the  Hughli  and  the  Adi-Ganga  (now  Tolly's  Nalla), 
they  built  their  village,  which,  in  honour  of  their  tute- 
lary deity,  they  named  Govindpur.  North  of  this, 
beyond  the  creek,  which  ran  up  where  Hastings  Street  now 
is,  and  which  is  still  commemorated  by  Creek  Row,  they 
established  Sutanuti  Hat  or  "'  the  Cotton  Bale  Market." 

The  story  of  the  Portuguese  in  Bengal  is  a  melan- 
choly one.  Under  the  patronage  of  the  Emi)eror  Akbar 
they  formed  a  settlement  at  Hughli,  and  by  1599  had 
provided  themselves  with  a  Church  and  a  Fortress. 
The  fall  of  Portuguese  Hughli  took  place  in  1632.  The 
race,  so  distinguished  for  its  early  enterprise  and  con- 
summate bravery,  had  sunk  in  Bengal  into  a  tribe  of 
thieves  closely  allied,  both  by  blood  and  habits,  to  the 
aboriginal  pirates  of  Arracan,  who  infested  the  "Rogues' 
River"*  at  the    entrance  of  the  Hughli. 

3.     The  English    come  to  Bengal. 

The  representatives  of  the  English  Company  reached 
the  Bay  of  Bengal  a  year  later  than  the  Dutch  who  had 
established  themselves  at  Pipli  and  Chinsurah.  In  1633 
a  party  of  our  fellow  countrymen  set  forth  from  Masuli- 
patam  to  try  their  fortunes  in  Orissa.  Having  founded  a 
factory  at  Balasore,  in  1651,  Bridgeman  and  Stephens 
were  sent  in  charge  of  a  party  to  establish  a  factory  at 
Hughli  and  purchase  saltpetre.  In  1658,  after  a  talk 
at  Madras  of  withdrawal  from  Bengal,  Agents  were 
appointed  to  Balasore,  Cossimbazar  and  Patna,  and 
a  Chief  Agent  for  HughH.  To  each  Agent  three 
<;o-adjutors  were  assigned,  and  among  the  co-adjutors 
to  the  Agent  at  Cossimbazar  stands  out  the  name  of 
Job  Charnock. 

•  See  \\i\e.— Hofjgon  J obgoH,  "  Boguea   River." 


b  GL'IDE   TO    CALCUTTA. 

Coming  to  Bengal  with  intentions  purely  commercial 
and  relying  on  the  goodwill  of  the  Moghul  Emperors 
and  their  subordinate  rulers,  these  early  pioneers 
were  soon  taught  by  local  oppression  and  opposition 
that  they  must  protect  themselves  by  force.  In  1686 
the  Couri:  despatched  an  expeditionary  force  to  act  under 
Job  Charnock.  After  some  fighting  at  Hughli,  on 
December  20th,  the  English  withdrew  They  attempted 
first  to  occupy  the  malarious  island  of  Hijili,  and  then 
Ulubaria,  but  again  returned  to  Siitanuti,  where  Char- 
nock, for  the  time,  found  himself  superseded  by  a 
certain  Captain  Heath.  After  a  brief  withdrawal  to 
Madras,  Charnock,  with  his  Council,  once  more  returned 
to  Siitanuti.  On  Sunday,  August  24th,  1690,  was  made 
the  "mid-day  halt  of  Charnock." 

"Yet  in  spite  of  everything  Calcutta  grew.  When  once  fortified,  its  posi- 
tion secured  on  its  three  sides  from  attack  ;  its  deep  harbour  attracted  the 
trade  from  the  Dutch  and  French  settlements,  on  the  shallow  reaches  higher 
up  to  the  river,  and  the  native  merchants  began  to  crowd  the  place  where  they 
felt  safe.  It  was  perceived  that  a  few  armed  ships  in  the  Calcutta  pool  could 
cut  off  the  upper  settlements  from  the  sea.  But  the  fever-haunted  swamps 
■which  stretched  behind  the  river  bank  exacted  a  terrible  price  for  its  pros- 
perity. The  name  of  Calcutta  taken  from  a  neighbouring  Hindu  shrine  was 
identified  by  four  mariners  with  Golgotha,  the  place  of  skulls."  Within  a 
decade,  after  Charnock  finally  landed  on  the  deserted  river-bank,  in  1690 
it  had  become  a  busy  native  mart  with  1,250  European  inhabitants  of  whom 
450  were  buried  between  the  months  of  August  and  January  in  one  year. 
The  miseries  of  the  fever-strirken  band  throughout  1690  and  i691  are  not  to 
be  told  in  words."     Sir  W.  Hunter  :  The  Thackerays  in  India.     Pp.  49 — 50. 

In  an  oft-quoted  poem.  Mr.  Rudyard  Kipling  has 
turned  into  current  coin  an  ancient  fallacy  as  to  the  origin 
of  Calcutta.  : 

"Once   two  hundred  years  ago   the  trader  came  meek  and  tame. 
Where  his  timid  foot  first  halted  there  he  stayed. 

Till  mere  trade 
Grew  to  Empire   and  he  sent  his  armies  forth. 

South  and  North  ; 
Till  the  country  from  Peshawar  to  Cejdon 

Was  his  own. 
Thus  the  mid-day  halt  of  Charnock— more's  the  pity. 

Grew  a  city  ; 
As  the  fungus  sprouts  chaotic  from  its  bed, 

So  it  spread — 
Chance-directed,  chance-erected,  laid  and  built 

On  the  silt. 


*  This  is  a  picturesque  error  on  Sir  W.  Hunter's  part. 


"the  mid-day  halt  of  charnock.  7 

Palace,  ruyre,  hovel — poverty  and  pride 
Side  by  side  : 
And  above  the  packed  and  pestilential  town 
Death  looked  down-" 

"A  Tale  of  Two  Oities." — Departmental  Ditties. 

We  can  now  see  that  long  before  1690,  Sutanuti,  with 
its  prosperous  colony  of  native  merchants,  was  a  place 
to  be  cultivated  by  a  trading  Company.  Protected  from 
invasion  from  the  Mahommedan  power  in  the  north-west 
by  its  mighty  river,  isolated  by  the  Chitpore  Creek  in  the 
north,  the  salt  lakes — more  extensive  then  now — on 
the  east,  and  the  Adi-Ganga  in  the  south,  and  commanding 
the  approaches  to  the  European  settlements  above,  it 
held  the  key  to  the  situation*  Well  and  wisely  has 
Mr.  Wilson  written  of  old   Job  Charnock 's  choice  : 

"If  the  common  opinion  about  these  matters  were  true,  if  Old  Fort  William 
was  the  work  of  thoughtless,  worthless  adventurers,  and  the  Indian  Empire  the 
outcome  of  chance  and  accident,  I,  for  my  part,  do  not  see  how  such  views  can 
be  reconciled  with  scientific  theories  of  history,  much  less  with  a  belief  in  an 
over-ruling  Providence  rewarding  men  according  to  their  works.  But  the 
truth  is  far  otherwise.  There  Can  be  no  greater  mistake  than  to  suppose  that 
the  English  settlement  at  Calcutta  was  fortuitous  and  ill-considered. 
Nothing  can  be  further  from  the  facts  than  the  generally  accepted  picture  of 
'the  mid-day  haltof  Charnock'  growing  to  bea  city  '  chance-directed,  chance- 
erected'  spreading  chaotic  like  the  fungus.  Had  the  English  confined  them- 
selves to  "mere  trade,'  had  the  merchant  remained  'meek  and  tame  where 
his  timid  foot  first  halted,'  there  would  have  been  no  Calcutta  and  no 
British  India.  On  the  contrary,  the  final  settlement  of  the  EngUsh  on  the 
east  bank  of  the  Hughli  was  the  fruit  of  more  than  half -a -century  of  efforts, 
the  achievement  of  a  band  of  able  and  resolute  men,  among  whom  Job 
Charnock  has  been  rightly  given  the  first  place.  The  end  which  has  crowned 
their  work  is  the  consequence  and  proof  of  its  original  soundness.  An 
empire  is  not  gained  like  a  piize  in  a  lottery.  " — Indian  Church  Qvarterly 
Review,  Vol.  XIII,  April,  1901. 

i.     The    Founder    of    Calcutta. 

Job  ChaPvNOCK,  of  whose  birth,  parentage,  and  early 
life,  nothing  is  known,  had  come  to  India  in  either  1655 
or  1656.  Up  to  the  date  of  his  third  and  final  halt  at 
Calcutta  he  displayed  much  ability,  pluck,  and  firmness 
of  resolution,  but  in  his  old  age  his  character  seems  to 
have  rapidly  deteriorated.  "  He  loved,  "  writes  Hedges, 
"that  everybody  should  be  at  difference,  and  supported  a 
sergeant  that  set  them  to  duelling."     Laisser  faire :  laisser 

*  Had  Charnock  chosen  a  site  below   Hijili,  his  settlement  would  certainly 
have  perished  in  the  ereat  tidal  waves  of  1737  and  1823,  W.  K.  F, 


a  GUIDE  TO  CALCUTTA. 

fasser,  would  have  been  an  appropriate  motto  for  his 
rule.  No  site  was  marked  out  for  the  factory,  and  every 
one  was  left  free  to  pick  out  lands,  dig  tanks,  and  build 
houses  wheresoever  they  pleased.*  The  settlement  by  the 
date  of  Sir  John  Goldsborough's  arrival  in  August  1693, 
as  Commissary-General  and  Chief  Governor  of  the  Com- 
pany's settlements,  had  gained  an  unenviable  reputa- 
tion on  the  score  of  the  punch  house  and  billiard  table 
kept  by  one  Hill,  the  secretary  and  captain  of  the  sol- 
diers, to  whom  the  aged  Charnock  entrusted  wide  powers 
of  indiscretion.  Alexander  Hamilton,  who,  by  the  way, 
would  not  have  been  inclined  to  take  an  impartial  view 
of  the  servants  of  the  Company,  tells  the  yarn  of  how 
Charnock,  instead  of  converting  his  wife  to  Christianity, 
was  converted  by  her  to  the  cult  of  the  Panch  Pir  or  Five 
Saints — a  sort  of  mongrel  Mahomedan  and  Hindu  devotion 
emanating  from  Bihar  '"The  only  part  of  Christianity 
that  was  remarkable  in  him  was  burying  her  decently  ; 
and  he  built  a  tomb  over  her,  where  all  his  life  after  her 
death,  he  kept  the  anniversary  day  by  sacrificing  a  cock 
on  her  tomb  after  the  pagan  manner." 

On  January  the  10th,  1693,  Job  Charnock  breathed  his 
last.  Charity  will  impel  the  modern  reader  to  distrust 
the  gossip  which  was  dinned  into  Sir  John  Goldsborough's 
ears  nearly  six  months  later.  After  long  years  of  faithful 
service,  having  twice  endured  the  bitterness  of  being 
unjustly  superseded,  wearied  out  by  the  long  delays  and  the 
deaf  ears  of  his  masters  in  England,  living  in  an  exhausting 
climate,  weakened  by  constant  fevers,  far  from  the 
influences  of  his  mother  Church,  it  is  not  surprising  that 
old  Job's  decHning  years  were  spent  in  indolence  and 
even  disorder.  The  verdict  on  the  Founder  of  Calcutta 
has  been  pronounced — or  rather  not  pronounced  —by 
Mr.  Wilson. 

"Charnock  possessed  the  one  rare  but  absolutely  needful  virtue  of  dis- 
interested honesty, — a  virtue  which  must  have  been  at  this  time  difficult  to 
retain  ;  a  virtue  which  must  have  raised  up  against  him  scores  of  secret 
enemies ;  a  virtue  which  makes  us  slow  to  believe  evil  of  one  who,  in  apite  of 
all  petty  detraction,  will  always  occupj'  a  place  among  those  who  have  the 


•  This,  as  a  matter  of   fact,  was  not  Chamock's    fault  but  his  misfortune  ; 
for  be  was  not  permitted  to  raise  fortifications. 


Charnock  Mausoleum.  St.  John's  Churchyard. 


THE   FOUNDER   OF   CALCUTTA.  if 

sovereign  honour  of  being  founders  of  states  or  commonwealtlK*.  Coarse  and 
sinful  he  may  well  have  been,  for  he  seems  to  have  been  imperfectly  educa- 
ted, and  he  passed  an  unprecedented  length  of  years  in  Indian  service. 
But  for  my  part  I  prefer  to  forget  the  minor  blemishes,  and  to  remember  only 
his  resolute  determination,  his  clear-sighted  wisdom,  his  honest,  self- 
devotion,  and  not  leave  him  to  sleep  on  in  the  heart  of  the  city  which  be 
founded,  looking  for  blessed  resurrection  and  the  coming  of  Him  by  whom 
alone   he  ought  to  be    judged."     The  English   in  Ben<j<tl,  \o\.  I,  pp.  142-'!. 

Here  is  the  verdict  of  Sir  W,  Hunter  : — 

"Charnoek  now  stands  forth  in  the  manuscript  records  as  a  block  of  rough- 
hewn  British  manhood.  Not  a  beautiful  person  perhaps,  for  the  founders 
of  England's  greatness  in  India  were  not  such  as  wear  soft  raiment  and  dwell 
in  King's  houses  ;  but  a  man  who  had  a  great  and  hard  task  to  do,  and  who 
did  it— did  it  with  small  thought  of  self,  and  with  a  resolute  courage 
which  no  danger  could  daunt  nor  any  difficulties  turn  aside.  The  niasteis 
who  treated  him  so  grudgingly  knew  his  worth.  He  was  even  in  his  life- 
time an  honest  Mr.  Charnoek,  no  "  prowler  '  for  himself  beyond  what  was 
just  and  modest."  Sir  William  Huntei  :   Op.  Cit.  pji.  .'il-2. 

Of  the  Charnoek  Mausoleum  in  St.  John's  Churchyard 
sf)niething  will  be  said  hereafter.  Writing  in  1845, 
Mr.  Long  tells  that  at  Barrackpore,  known  to  the  native^^ 
by  the  name  of  Achanuk,  Charnoek  estabhshed  a  bun- 
galow and  gathered  a  little  bazar  round  it.  The  identi- 
fication of  the  older  Bengali  name  "  Chanuk  "  with  that 
of  Charnoek  is,  however,  a  popular  error.*  In  1898  the 
(Calcutta  Municipality  re-named  Tottie's  Lane,  Charnoek 
Street.  Sir  John  Goldsborough,  the  strenuous  reformer, 
died  in  November  and  lies  close  to  Charnoek  in  an 
unnamed  grave    in  St.  John's  Churchyard. 

5.  The  Move  from  Sutanuti  to  Calcutta. 
When  the  EngUsh  returned  to  Sutanuti  on  August 
*24th,  1690,  it  was  to  find  that  the  building  they  had 
erected  in  1688  had  been  plundered  and  burnt.  Three 
ruined  mud  hovels  on  the  river-bank  were  the  sole  ves- 
tiges of  the  second  halt.  A  despatch,  penned  in  1691, 
describes  the  restored  merchants  as  still  dwelling  in 
"only  tents,  huts,  and  boats."  Before  his  death, 
however.  .Job  had  secured     possession    of  the    Jagirdar's 


•  Sec  Yule. — Hobson-Joi,son,  and  Yule's  Edition  of  "Hedges'  Diaiy." 
The  caatonuent  of  Secrole  near  Benares  used  to  be  known  as  Clihota 
Achannock.  lu  iValentyne's  aiap  of  1726  the  Barrackpore  site  is  called 
"Tsjannck."  See  the  letter  of  the  court,  to  Fort  St.  George,  December  12, 
1677.  "The  Fa/eon  u-iied  to  go  up  the  river  to  Hughly  or  at  the_  best  tf)  Chan- 
unck." 


I* 


10  GUIDE   TO    CALCUTTA. 

pucca  cutchery.  Among  the  ofiences  laid  to  the  door  of 
Captain  Hill  had  been  the  indictment  that  he  had  "  let 
his  wife  turn  Papist  without  control."  In  an  atmosphere 
of  "native  habits,  black  wives,  and  heathenish  prayers," 
the  good  Portuguese  friars  had  set  to  work,  to  convince 
the  denizens  of  Sutaniiti  of  righteousness  and  judgment 
to  come.  Their  activity  and  success  caused  Sir  John 
Goldsborough  no  small  regret.  "  I  turned  the  priest 
from  hence,"  he  writes  in  1693,  "  and  their  mass-house 
was  to  be  pulled  down  in  course,  to  make  way  for  the 
factory  when  it  shall  be  built "  The  site  selected  by 
Goldsborough  for  his  Fort  was  not  in  Sutanuti  but  in 
"  Dhee  Collecotta."  It  will  be  well,  at  this  point,  to 
take  a  rapid  survey  of  the  situation  of  the  future  city 
at  the  time  when  Job  Charnock  made  his  halt. 

Looking  at  our  map  we  tiud  iu  the  north  the  village  of  Chitpur.  Here  in 
the  15th  Century  was  the  temple  of  the  goddess  Sarvamangala,  then  more 
esteemed  than  the  shrine  of  Kali  at  Kalighat. 

The  Savarna  family,  whose  traditions  are  said  to  go  back  beyond  those  of 
the  Bysacks  and  the  Setts,  and  who  were  in  possession  here,  ascribe  the  name 
Cliitpur  to  their  idol  Ghitreswari  (Kali).  From  Chitpur  to  Kalighat  ran  the 
old  pilgrim  road,  now  represented  by  the  Chitpur  Road,  Bentinck  Street, 
the  Chowringhee  and  Russa  Roads,  thus  forming  a  string  to  the  bow  of 
the  river. 

South  of  the  Chitpur  creek  was  Siitanuti.  The  derivation  of  this  word 
is  a  matter  of  debate.  According  to  the  Savarna  traditions  tie  daily  distribu- 
tion of  alms  beneath  a  "chhatra"  or  canopy  led  to  the  village  being  called 
"  Chhatealoot  "  or  colloquially  "Chuttanutte."  Dr.  Wilson,  on  the  contrary, 
holds  that  the  word  should  be  "Sutanuti"  and  that  it  means  a  cotton-bale. 
The  transliteration  of  ch  for  sh,  he  contends,  was  borrowed  from  Portuguese 
usage. 

South  of  Sutanuti  was  Kalikatta.  Some  years  ago  Calcutta  was 
fearlessly  asserted  to  be  derived  from  Kalighat.  It  is  now  recognised  that 
Kalikatt;^  (Collekutta,  Kalikata,  Calcutta)  was  from  the  first  quite  distinct 
from  the  once  obscure  shrine  of  KaU  iu  the  south.  In  Kalikatta  the  English 
found  the  Bura  Bazar  whence  they  procured  their  scanty  provisions.  Bura 
ia  said  to  be  of  a  pet  name  of  Shiva. 

South  of  Sutanuti  (where  Hastings  St.  now  is)  came  the  Creek  marking 
the  site  of  the  future  Hastings  Street  and  separating  Kalikatta  from 
Govindpur,  which  in  its  turn  was  bound  on  the  south  by  the  old  Ganges. 
now  Tolly's  Nalla- 

In  1695  the  rebeUion  of  Subha  Sing  rendered  it  desir- 
able for  the  lieutenants  of  the  Mogul  empire  to  court  the 
assistance  of  the  European  settlers  on  the  Hughli,  and 
the  importunity  of  the  Mohammedan  rulers  afforded  the 
English  the  opportunity  of  getting  to  work  at  their  fort. 
Three  years  later,  they,  thanks  to  the  friendly  assistance 


EARLY   DIFFICULTIES.  11 

of    an    Armenian    named    Surhand,  were    permitted    to 
purchase  for  Rs.   1,300  the  right  to  rent  the  mauzas  of 
Calcutta,    Siitanuti,    and  Govindpur.     But  to  make  this 
purchase,  the  EngUsh  had   to  offer    Prince  Farruckhsya, 
a  gratification  of  Rs.   16,000.     The  incident  reminds  one 
of   the   missionary   whose   servant   was   executed   by   an 
African  Chief  for  removing  a  boat  which  his  master  had 
purchased.     "  But  I  paid    you    myself,"   protested  the 
indignant  missionary.     "  Yes,"  replied  the  dusky  monarch, 
"  I  sold  you  the  boat,    but    not    the   wood    of    which    it 
was  made."     The  English   thought  they  were   purchas- 
ing   the    proprietary    rights     to     the     villages :     as    a 
matter  of    fact  they  were      purchasing     only     the  right 
to  the  tenant's  rents.     The  Company  had,  therefore,    to 
pay  each  year  a  rent  on  the    jagir  or   proprietary  rights 
which  were  declared  to  be    unsaleable.     The  pith  of  the 
whole  matter  was  that    Farruckhsiya  sold  to  the  English 
the  right  to  purchase  of    his   land   owners,   but    trusted 
that    the    latter    would   decline    to    sell.     As   far  as  the 
three    villages    of    Siitanuti,  Kalikatta,    and    Govindpur 
were  concerned,  the  English  had  been  able  to  arrange  with 
the  jagirdars  and  were  quite  able  to  protect  their  traders, 
brokers,   and   servants  within  these   boundaries.     It  was 
the  necessity  of  extending  their  protection  to  the  outlying^ 
villages  which  compelled  the  English  to  send,  in  1717,  an 
embassy  to    Delhi    to     procure    from    the    Emperor    a 
confirmation  of  the  privileges   acquired  by  the  purchase 
in  1698,  and  permission  to  purchase  thirty-eight  villages 
on  either    bank  of    the    Hughli    to  the  distance   of   ten 
miles   from  the  factory.     The   course  of    affairs  was  not 
permitted  to  run  smoothly,  for  the  Emperor's  firman  was 
not  law  to  the  Nawab,  who  in  the  unsettled  state  of  the 
English,  found   an  opportunity  for  filling  his  treasury  at 
Murshedabad. 

It  would  be  unfair  to  the  reader  to  puzzle  him 
with  an  historical  disquisition  on  the  subject  of  the 
position  at  law  of  the  Company  in  its  earlier  years  at 
Calcutta.  It  was  not  until  after  the  downfall  of  the  Eng- 
lish Fort  in  1756  and  Clive's  victorious  campaign,  that 
anything  like  legal  security  was  possessed  b}'  the  English 
in    their    Calcutta    settlement.     Suffice   it  to  say  that    in 


12  GUIDE   TO   CALCUTTA. 

1758  the  Nawab,  whom  Clive  had  placed  ou  the  throne 
of  Suraj-ud-daula,  granted  what  has  l)een  called  "  tl>e  free 
tenure"  of  the  town  of  Calcutta — the  lands  "  within  the 
ditch "  with  a  margin  of  600  yards  beyond,  and  the 
zemindari  of  all  lands  south  of  Calcutta  as  far  as 
•Culpi. 

6.     The  Rival  Companies  and  the  Rotation 
Government. 

In  the  meantime,  while  under  Charles  Eyre  and  latterly 
-John  Beard,  first  the  Fort  and  then  the  Factory  were 
rapidly  growing  into  existence,  a  new  trouble  was  being 
•created  for  "the  restored  merchants."  They  had  long 
been  pestered  by  "  interlopers  "  or  unauthorised  traders  : 
they  were  now  to  compete  with  a  new  Company.  On 
September  5th,  1698,  an  "  EngUsh  Company  trading  to 
East  India  ' '  was  incorporated  under  charter,  and  the 
old  Company,  henceforth  to  be  kno^vn  as  the  ''  London 
<Jompany,"  was  granted  existence  till  September  29th, 
1701,  but  no  longer.  The  new  Company  established  at 
Hughli,  however,  made  a  very  poor  pretence  at  main- 
taining its  position,  while,  on  the  other  hand,  the  pro- 
gress of  the  old  Company  at  Calcutta  was  marked  and 
its  influence  in  England  increased.  Parliament,  in  1700, 
therefore  arranged  that  a  union  of  the  two  Companies, 
instead  of  the  disappearance  of  one  of  them,  should  be 
■effected. 

■'This same  year  the  rival  East  India  Companies  were  united  by  Queeu 
Anne's  'Tripartite  Indenture'  dated  .luly  2'2nd.  The  separate  accounts  of 
the  old  Company  at  Fort  William  and  the  new  at  Hooghly  were  ordered 
to  be  made  up  ;  and  a  third  Joint  Council  was  ordered  to  be  formed  at 
Calcutta  to  be  presided  over  by  a  Member  of  Council  of  the  old  Com- 
pany and  a  memberof  the  new  on  alternate  weeks.  Of  this  arrangement 
the  Governor  of  Fort  St.  George  wrote  home  on  the  7th  December  170-1 :  — 
*  For  the  Rotation  Government  in  Bengal  'tis  become  the  ridicule  of 
all  India,  both  Europeans  and  Natives.'"  Hyde:  Parochial  Annals  of 
Bengal. 

The  Rotation  Government  was  abolished  in  1710, 
when  the  office  of  President  of  Bengal  (first  held  by  Sir 
•Charles  Eyre  in  1699)  was  revived.  The  days  of  the 
Rotation  Government  were  remarkable  for  considerable 
■exertion  in  the  matter  of  building. 


SOCIAL   LIFE.  13- 

Much  light  on  the  social  life  of  the  early  English 
settlers  in  Calcutta  may  be  derived  from  the  pages  of 
Captain  Hamilton's  East  Indies.  We  have  to  picture 
members  of  the  Council  assembled  in  quaint  garbs. 
"An  old  country  captain"  quoted  in  the  Indian  Gazette 
of  February  24th,  1781,  describes  the  Council  of  those 
early  days,  as  assembling  : — 

"  Dres.*ed  in  muslin  shirts,  long  drawers  and  starched  white  caps,  sit- 
ting in  the  consultation  room  with  a  case  bottle  of  good  old  arrack  and  a 
goblet  of  water  on  the  table,  which  the  Secretary,  with  a  skilful  hand, 
converted  into  punch,  as  occasion  arose." 

Hamilton  records  his  impression  that  life  in  Calcutta 
was  by  no  means  an  unmixed  evil  : — 

"  Most  gentlemen  and  ladies  in  Bengal  live  both  splendidly  and 
pleasantly,  the  forenoons  being  dedicated  to  business  and  after  dinner 
to  rest,  and  in  the  evening  to  recreate  themselves  in  chaises  or  palankins 
in  the  fields,  or  to  gardens,  or  by  water  in  the  budgerows  ;  which  is  a 
convenient  boat  that  goes  swiftly  with  the  force  of  o^rs.  On  the  river 
sometimes  there  is  the  diversion  of  fishing  and  fowling,  or  both ;  and 
before  night  they  make  friendly  visits  to  one  another  when  pride  or 
contention  do  not  spoil  society,  which  too  often  they  do  among  the 
ladies,  as  discord  and  friction  do  among  the  men." 

Mr.  Wilson,  writes  : — 

"  If  Dame  Fortune's  wishing  shoes,  about  which  Hans  Anderson  has  so 
much  to  tell  us,  were  in  existence  and  could  be  procured  in  Calcutta,  I 
do  not  think  the  most  discontended  inhabitant  of  the  modern  city  would 
be  well  advised  to  wish  himself  back  into  the  days  of  the  Rotation 
Government." 

We  will  not  carry  this  introductory  sketch  any  further 
since  the  history  of  Calcutta,  so  far  as  it  is  our  duty  to 
re- tell  it,  will  be  learned  as  we  wander  through  its 
streets  and  suburbs.  It  must,  however,  be  remembered 
that  the  essential  charm  of  the  town  depends  very 
largely  on  the  interest  we  take  in  the  past  of  the  English 
in  India.  To  the  patriotic  native  this  may  appear  a 
hard  saying,  yet  the  fact  remains  that,  even  for  the 
natives,  Calcutta  is  an  artificial  place  of  residence.  Our 
native  servants,  no  less  than  our  own  wives  and 
children,  are  one  and  all  looking  forward  to  the  time 
when,  with  a  fair  degree  of  plausibihty,  they  can  petition 
their  masters  for  chh^li  and  permission  to  go  to  their  own 
'"muluk."      No     doubt    Calcutta    has  a  vast     Hindu 


14  GUIDE   TO    CALCUTTA. 

population,  but  the  fact  that  in  this  city  there  are  no 
Hindu  temples  worthy  of  mention  is  significant.  What 
pundit  in  his  senses  would  recommend  the  tourist, 
who  has  Benares  and  perhaps  the  stupendous  temple 
of  Southern  India  to  visit,  to  waste  even  an  hour  at 
Kalighat  ?  The  Jain  temples  are  certainly  worthy  of  a 
visit,  whether  or  no  the  tourist  has  a  chance  of  seeing 
Mount  Abu,  Gwalior  and  Ahmedabad,  but  this  is 
rather  for  the  barbaric  glitter  of  these  Calcutta 
gardens  of  sunshine  than  for  purposes  of  archaeological 
inquiry.  Calcutta  is  essentially  a  place  of  English 
interest. 

It  must  not  be  forgotten,  however,  that  in  the  Calcutta 
Museum  stand  some  of  the  remains  of  the  great  Barahut 
stupa.  The  possession  of  these  remains  should  be  joy 
and  glory  to  every  Calcutta  citizen  who  is  not  an  unmiti- 
gated philistine. 


CHAPTER  II. 

IN  SEARCH  OF  THE   OLD  FORT    AND   BLACK 
HOLE. 

1.   The   Old  Fort. 

"  The  first  Fort  William  in  Bengal  has  to-day  almost  conipletelj-  vanished 
from  the  sight  and  the  memory  of  the  citizens  of  Calcutta.  Few  persons 
know  what  the  Fort  was  like  or  where  it  stood.  Fewer  still,  I  believe, 
know  that  a  fragment  is  still  standing  within  the  compound  of  the  G.eneral 
Post  Office.     In  India  frequent  changes  make  short  memories.' ' 

So  wrote  the  late  Mr.  C.  R.  Wilson  in  the  pamphlet  he 
prepared  "under  the  orders  of  His  Excellency  the  Vice- 
roy and  Governor-General  to  serve  as  a  brief  guide  to 
the  models  of  the  Old  Fort  and  the  Church  of  Saint  Anne 
exhibited  in  the  collection  of  objects  intended  to  be  placed 
in  the  Queen  Victoria  Memorial  Hall  at  Calcutta,  and 
also  as  a  guide  to  the  memorials  erected  on  the  actual 
site  of  the  Old  Fort."  The  reader,  who  wishes  to  mas- 
ter the  subject,  should  not  fail  to  procure  a  copy  of  this 
pamphlet-  He  should  also,  before  making  a  visit  to 
the  actual  site  of  the  Old  Fort,  carefully  inspect  the  line 
model  on  exhibition  at  the  Victoria  Memorial  Hall  Col- 
lection. 

Old  Job  Charnock  had  been  refused  the  right  to  com- 
mence the  fortifications  he  had  so  long  felt  to  be  neces- 
sary for  any  successful  factory  in  Bengal.  Permission 
to  conamence  such  buildings  was  tacitly  conceded  by  the 
Nawab  afifcer  the  rebellion  of  Subha  Sing  in  1696.  The 
dates  of  importance  in  the  construction  of  the  earlier 
Fort  Wilham  are  :  — 

1697.  At  the  north-east  angle  of  the  site  laid  out  by  Goldsborough  only 
one  bastion  in  existence — a  square  tower  with  walls  more  than  six  feet  thick 
constructed  by  Eyre,  ' '  to  look  like  a  waiehouse  for  fear  of  exciting  the  jea- 
lou.ty  of  the  Mogul."  The  factory  adjoining  surrounded  by  brick  walls,  the 
factory  Btore-houses,  etc.,  consisting  of  mud  walls  and  thatched  roofs. 


16  GUIDE   TO    CALCUTTA. 

IWW.  Beard  places  his  house  and  garden  on  the  site  of  the  future  nortli- 
west  bastion.  After  Eyre's  second  return  to  England,  Beard  extended  the 
Port  to  the  south,  built  a  new  bastion  in  the  south-east  and  strengthened 
Eyre's  tower. 

1702.  Beard  begins  to  build  the  pucca  Governor's  House  in  the  southern 
extension  of  the  Fort.  "The  best  and  most  regular  piece  of  architecture,'' 
writes  Hamilton,  "that  I  ever  saw  in  India." 

1706.  The  Governor's  House  completed.  ''This  building  formed  three 
sides  of  a  quadrangle.  The  west  and  principal  face  was  245  feet  long.  In 
the  centreof  this  face  was  the  main  door  and  from  it  a  colonnade  ran  down  to 
the  Watergate  and  the  landing  stage.  Entering  the  doorway  and  turning  to 
your  left,  you  ascended  the  great  flight  of  stairs  which  led  to  the  hall  and  the 
principal  rooms.  The  south-eastern  wings  contained  the  apartments  of  the 
Governor.  A  raised  cloister  ran  down  the  three  sides  of  the  building."  The 
old  factory  house  was  now  pulled  down  and  in  its  place  was  erected  a  single- 
storied  building  which  served  for  the  original  "Writers'  Buildings."  This 
lodging  for  the  writers  was  completed  about  1716. 

1704.  On  the  death  of  the  fanatical  Aurangzeb,  the  P^nglish  ordered  their 
Military  Cavalry  Master  "  'to  see  it  well  peiformed  out  of  hand  and  to  the  end, 
to  take  all  the  materials  in  the  town  tliat  ari-  necessary  thereto,  that  it  may 
be  quickly  erected,  for  we  may  not  meet  with  .such  an  opportunity  again.^^  The 
work,  executed  in  haste,  as  excavations  in  1883  attested,  was  the  erection  of 
two  bastions  ou  the  water  side. 

1709.  The  Rotation  Government  enlarged  and  deepened  the  tank  which 
now  forms  the  centre  of  Dalhousie  Square,  and  wliich  superseded  the  Hughli 
as  the  source  whence  Calcutta  derived  its  drinking  water. 

The  Church  of  St.  Anne  was  erected  by  public  subscription  and  consecra- 
ted by  commission  on  June  8th,  the  Sunday  after  Ascension  Day. 

1710.  A  wharf  was  commenced  before  the  Fort,  faced  with  brick  and 
with  a  breast  work  for  cannon. 

To  realise  the  proportions  of  Old  Fort  William  is  now, 
thanks  to  our  present  Viceroy,  no  difficult  task.  Taking 
Mr.  Wilson's  advice,  we  will  start  from  Koila  Ghat  Street 
on  the  west  side  and  enter  the  Post  Office  compound, 
which  lies  between  the  older  building  and  the  more 
^ecent  ones  of  red-brick.     Here  we  find   two  tablets  : — 

(1) 

The  brass  lines  in  the  stone 

on  the  adjacent  ground 

mark  the  position  and  extent 

f)f  the  South  Curtain 

of  Old   Fort  William. 

(2) 

The  two  lines  of  twelve  arches 

to  the  west  of  this  tablet 

are  all  that  now   remains  above  ground 

of  Old  Fort  William  and 
originally  formed  a  portion  of  the  arcade 
within  the  South  Curtain. 


OLD    FOKT    WILLIAM.  17 

The  Black  Hole  Prison  was  a,  small  room 

formed  by  bricking  up  two  arches 

of  a  similar  but  smaller  arcade 

within  the    East  Curtain 

south  of  the  East  Gate. 

[Note. — J  n  order  to  get  a  clear  notion  oj  the  site  of  the  Old  Fort,  it  will  he 
the  best  for  the  reader  to  follow  up  Lord  Curzon's  tablets  which  relate  to  the  Fort 
first,  and  afterwards  search  for  the  site  of  the  Black  Hole.] 

The  sunken  arches,  where  the  Post  Office's  wagons  are 
now  kept,  once  formed  part  of  the  arcade  within  the 
South  Curtain,  the  wall  line  of  which  is  marked  out  for 
our  instruction  by  brass  lines  let  into  the  pavement.  The 
wall  of  the  Curtain,  a  portion  of  which  was  still  standing 
in  1895,  backed  the  old  Export  and  Import  Warehouses, 
and  through  the  arches  one  would  have,  in  the  old  days, 
looked  into  the  Parade  Ground  within  the  Fort.  The 
Export  and  Import  Warehouses  were  built  against  the 
South  Curtain  in  1741  and  would  have  followed  the  line 
of  Koilaghat  Street. 

Having  inspected  what  remains  above  ground  of  the 
Old  Fort,  and  having  realised  the  position  of  the  Southern 
Curtain,  we  leave  by  the  way  by  which  we  entered  and 
ascend  the  steps  of  the  Post  Office.  The  angle  of  the  South- 
East  Bastion  and  the  thickness  of  its  walls  is  indicated  by 
brass  hnes  let  into  the  steps.  A  tablet  pointing  out 
this  fact  will  be  found  on  an  adjacent  wall. 

Turning  to  our  left,  as  we  enter  Dalhousie  Square,  we 
are  treading  close  to  where  once  stood  the  East  Curtain. 
The  entrance  to  the  East  Gate  is  commemorated  by  a  tablet 
fixed  into  the  red  building  opposite  the  Holwell  obelisk. 

Sixteen  feet  behind  this  wall 

was  the  entrance  of  the  East  Gate, 

etc- 

We  now  must  enter  the  compound  of  the  Customs 
House.  The  outhouses  on  the  right  stand  where  stood 
the  "Long  Row" — the  "Writers'  Buildings" — which  were 
erected  on  the  site  of  the  original  kutcha  factory.  A 
tablet  records  :  — 

To  the  west  of  this  tablet 

extended  the  range  of  buildings, 

called  the  "  Long  Row", 

which  contained  the  lodgings  of  the  Company's  writfirs 

and  divided  the  Old  Fort 

into  two  sections. 

F,  GC  2 


l^  GUIDK  TO  CALCUTTA. 

We  next  find  a  tablet  which  marks  the  spot  near  to 
-which  the  West  Curtain  of  the  Fort  met  the  "  Long  Row." 
Within  the  Customs  House  compound  the  pilgrim  will  find 
a  tablet  and  a  brass  line  laid  down  to  define  the  situation 
and  thickness  of  the  factory — "  the  principal  building  in 
the  centre  of  the  Old  Fort  William." 

Leaving  the  Customs  House  compound,  we  next  fare 
to  the  East  Indian  Railway  House,  and  on  its  N.-E.  wall 
we  find  a  tablet  which  informs  us  : — 

The  brass  line  in  the  stone, 
on  the  adjacent  ground, 

marks 
the  position  and  extent 

of  part  of 

the    Xorth-East  Bastion 

of  Old  Fort  William. 

Fairlie  Place,  down  which  we  turn,  represents  the  north 
side  of  the  Fort.  It  must  be  remembered  that  the 
river  has  retreated  leaving,  between  the  site  of  the 
Old  Fort  and  the  river  bank,  a  broad  space  of  re- 
claimed land.  So  the  tablet,  which  commemorates  the  site 
of  the  North-Western  Bastion,  brings  us  close  to  where  must 
once  have  been  the  river  bank.  We  have  only  to  go  a  few 
more  steps  and  enter  the  quadrangle  of  the  E.  I.  Railway 
Office  to  find  a  last  tablet  which  tells  us  : — 

The  brass  lines 

in  the  stone,  on  the  adjacent  ground, 

mark  the  position  and  extent  of  the 

northern  portion  of  the  West  Curtain 

of  Old  Fort  William. 
This  tablet  marks  the  position  of  the 
North  River  Gate  through  which  Suraj-ud-daula  entered 
>  the   Fort  on 

the  evening  of  the  20th  June  1756. 
Behind  this  gate  stood  the  great  Flag -staff 
of   the  Fort. 

The  thoroughness,  with  which  the  difticult  task  of  recover- 
ing and  marking  out  the  site  of  the  Old  Fort,  is  something 
for  which  we  have  to  be  grateful  to  more  than  one 
generation  of  Calcutta  antiquarians.  First  in  order  of 
time  comes  Mr.  Roshell  Bayne  of  the  E.  I.  Railway, 
and  then  the  late  Dr.  Wilson  who  for  years  devoted  to 
the  subject  a  close  and  patient  study.     To  Mr.  Busteed's 


"  THE    BLACK    HOLK."  19 

chamiing  writings  must  be  attributed  the  public  interest 
which  has  followed  the  recondite  researches  of  learned 
men  in  a  province  where  popularity  is  not  often  met  with. 
To  Lord  Curzon,  who  allowed  no  theory  to  pass  muster 
until  it  was  converted  into  fact,  and  who  personally  con- 
vinced himself  of  the  accuracy  with  which  his  co-adjutors 
in  this  perplexing  undertaking  achieved  their  results, 
and  who  has  also  himself  added  to  the  stock  of  knowledge, 
the  Calcutta  citizen,  who  cares  for  the  past  of  his  city, 
must  ever  be  under  the  deepest  obligation. 

2.     The  Black   Holk. 

Having  ascertained  the  position  of  the  Old  Fort,  we  are 
in  a  position  to  bring  home  to  our  imaginations  its  great 
tragedy  of  the  night  of  June  20th,  1756.  The  reader  will 
do  well  before  his  visit  to  read  over  once  more  Lord 
Macaulay's  tale   of   the   disaster  : — 

"■  From  a  child  Surajah  Dowlah  hated  the  English,  it  was  his  whim  to 
do  8o ;  and  his  whims  were  never  opposed.  He  had  also  formed  a  very 
Exaggerated  notion  of  the  wealth  which  might  be  obtained  by  plundering 
them;  and  his  feeble  and  uncultivated  mind  was  incapable  of  perceiving 
that  the  riches  of  Calcutta,  had  they  been  even  greater  than  he  imagined, 
would  not  compensate  him  for  what  he  must  lose,  if  the  European  trade,  of 
which  Bengal  was  a  chief  seat,  should  be  driven  by  his  violence  to  some  other 
quarter.  Pretests  for  a  quarrel  were  readily  found.  The  English,  in 
expectation  of  a  war  with  France,  had  begun  to  fortify  theii- settlement 
without  special  permission  fiom  the  Nabob.  A  rich  native,  whom  he 
longed  to  plunder,  had  taken  refuge  at  Calcutta,  and  had  not  licen  delivered 
up.  On  such  grounds  as  these  Surajah  Dowlah  marched  with  <a  great  army 
against  Fort  \Villiam. 

The  servants  of  the  Company  at  Madras  had  been  forced  by  Dupleix 
to  become  statesmen  and  soldiers.  Those  in  Bengal  were  still  mere  traders, 
and  were  terrified  and  bewildeied  by  the  approaching  danger.  The 
(Jovernor,  who  had  heard  much  of  Surajah  Dowlah's  cruelty,  was  frightened 
-out  of  his  wits,  jumped  into  a  boat,  and  took  refuge  in  the  nearest  ship. 
The  military  commandant  thought  that  he  could  not  do  better  than  follow 
so  good  an  example.  The  Fort  was  taken  after  a  feeble  resistance;  and 
great  numbers  of  the  English  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  conquerors.  The 
.Vabob  seated  himself  with  real  pomp  in  the  principal  hall  of  the  factory 
and  ordered  Mr.  Holwell,  the  first  in  rank  among  the  prisoners,  to  be 
brought  before  him.  His  Highness  abused  the  inaolence  of  the  English, 
and  grumbled  at  the  smallness  of  the  treasure  which  he  had  found  ;  but 
promised  to  spare  their  lives,  and  retired  to  rest. 

Then  was  committed  that  great  crime,  memorable  for  its  singular  atrocity, 
memorable  for  the  tremendous  retribution  by  which  it  was  followed.  The 
English  captives  were  left  to  the  meroy  of  the  guards  and  the  guards  deter- 
mined to  secure  them  for  the  night  in  the  prison  of  the  garrison,  a  chamber 
known  by  the  fearful  name  of  the  Black  Hole.  Even  fora  single  European 
malefactor,  that  dungeon,  would,  in  such  a  climate,  have  been  too  close  and 


'20  GUIDK    TO    CALCUTTA. 

naiTow.  The  space  was  only  twenty  feet  square.  The  air-holes  were  small 
and  obstructed.  It  was  the  summer  solstice,  the  season  when  the  fierce  heat 
of  Bengal  can  scarcely  be  rendered  tolerable  to  natives  of  England  by  lofty 
halls  and  by  constant  waving  of  fans.  The  number  of  the  prisoners  was  one 
hundred  and  forty-six.  When  they  were  ordered  to  enter  the  celU 
they  imagined  that  the  soldiers  were  joking  ;  and,  being  in  high  spirits  on 
account  of  the  promise  of  the  Nabob  to  spare  their  lives,  they  laughed  and 
jested  at  the  absurdity  of  the  notion.  They  soon  discovered  their  mistake. 
They  expostulated;  they  entreated  but  in  vain.  The  guards  threatened  to 
cut  down  all  who  hesitated.  The  captives  were  driven  into  the  cell  at  the 
point  of  the  sword,  and  the  door  was  instantly  shut  and  locked  upon  them. 

Nothing  in  history  or  fiction,  not  even  the  story  which  Ugolino  told  in  the 
sea  of  everlasting  ice.  after  he  had  wiped  his  bloody  lips  on  the  scalp  of  his 
murderers,  approaches  the  horrors  which  ,verc  recounted  by  the  few  survivors 
of  that  night.  They  cried  for  mercy.  Theystrove  to  burst  the  door.  Hol- 
well,  who,  even  in  that  extremity  retained  some  presence  of  mind,  offered 
large  bribes  to  the  gaolars.  But  the  answer  was  that  nothing  could  be  done 
without  the  Nabob's  orders,  that  the  Nabob  was  asleep,  and  tliat  hs  would  be 
angry  if  anybody  woke  him.  Then  the  prisoners  went  mad  with  despair. 
They  trampled  each  other  down,  fought  for  the  places  at  the  windows,  fought 
for  the  pittance  of  water  with  which  the  cruel  mercy  of  the  murderers  mocked 
their  agonies,  raved,  prayed,  blasphemed,  implored  the  guards  to  fire  among 
them.  The  gaolers  in  the  meantime  held  lights  to  the  bars,  and  ."liouted  with 
laughter  at  th  •  trantic  struggles  of  their  victims.  At  length  the  tumult  died 
away  in  low  gaspings  and  groanings.  The  day  brok--.  The  Nabob  had  slept 
off  his  debauch,  and  permitted  the  door  to  be  opened.  But  it  was  some  time 
before  the  soldiers  could  make  a  lane  for  the  survivors  by  piling  up  on  each 
side  the  heap  of  corpses  on  which  the  burning  climate  had  already  begun  to  do 
its  loathsome  work.  When  at  length  a  passage  was  made,  twenty-three 
ghastly  figures,  such  as  their  own  mothers  would  not  have  known,  staggered 
one  by  one  out  of  the  charnel-house.  A  pit  was  instantly  dug.  The  dead 
bodies,  a  hundred  and  twenty-three  in  number,  w^re  flung  i.ito  it  promis- 
cuously and  covered  up. 

But  these  things  which,  after  the  lapse  of  more  than  eighty  years,  cannot  be 
told  or  read  without  horror,  awakened  neither  remorse  nor  pity  in  the  bosom 
of  the  savage  Nabob.  He  inflicted  no  punishment  on  the  murderers.  He 
showed  no  tenderness  to  the  survivors.  Some  of  them  indeed,  from  whom 
nothing  was  to  be  got,  were  suffered  to  depart,  but  those  from  whom  it  was 
thought  that  anything  could  be  extorted  ivere  treated  with  execrable  cruelty, 
Holwell,  unable  to  walk,  was  carried  before  the  tyrant,  who  reproached  him, 
threatened  him,  and  sent  him  up  the  country  in  irons,  together  with  some 
other  gentlemen  who  were  suspected  of  knowing  more  than  they  chose  to  tell 
about  the  treasures  of  the  Company.  These  persons,  still  bowed  down  by  the 
sufferings  of  that  great  agon j%  were  lodged  in  miserable  sheds,  and  fed  only 
with  grain  and  water,  till  at  length  the  intercessions  of  the  female  relation-; 
of  the  Nabob  procuicd  their  release.  One  f]nglish  woman  had  sur\Tved  that 
night.     She  was  placed  in  the  harem  of  the  prince  at  Moorshidabad." 

It  would  be  unwise  to  attempt  to  retell  a  tale  that  has 
been  told  by  Lord  Macaulay  :  it  is,  however,  by  no  means 
difficult  to  detect  the  inaccuracies  of  that  great  writer. 
"The  Fort  was  taken  after  a  feeble  resistance"  is  bv 
no  means  a  truthful  account  of  the  facts,  and  the  assertion 
is  probably  due  to  Macaulay's    love  for  picture-drawing. 


^ 


"THK    BLACK    HOLE."  21 

The  "'mere  trader"  view  of  the  Company's  servants  in 
Bengal  lent  itself  to  picturesque  representation  ;  yet,  in 
truth,  the  Nawab  was  actually  repelled  at  Chitpore,  and 
a  very  stout  resistance  was  offered  to  his  forces  as  he 
■entered  Calcutta  by  the  avenue  now  known  as  Bow 
Bazar. 

"Of  the  enemy  we  killed  rirstand  la-;t,  by  their  own  confession,  5,000 
of  their  troops,  and  80  Jemadars  and  officers  of  consequence,  exclusive 
of  the  wounded,"     Holwell  :  Letter  to  the  Bombay   Govenimenf,  July. 

It  is  also  gratifying  to  record  that  the  woman,  who 
Macaulay  tells  was  sent  to  the  harem  at  Murshedabad, 
escaped  so  ignominious  a  fate.  Holwell  indeed  says  that 
"the  rest  who  survived  the  fatal  night  regained  their 
liberty  except  Mrs.  Carey  who  was  too  young  and  hand- 
some." A  later  Calcutta  antiquarian,  "Asiaticus," 
forgetful  of  the  fact  that  Suraj-ud-daula  only  survived 
the  tragedy  caused  by  his  negligence  by  some  twelve 
months,  tells  us  that  the  tyrant  at  once  fell  in  love  with 
his  captive  and  "  for  seven  years  kept  her  in  his  seraglio." 
Dr.  Busteed,  however,  was  informed  by  "a  near  connec- 
tion by  marriage  of  a  direct  lineal  descendant  of 
Mr.  Carey":— 

*■•  That  she  was  not  carried  off  by  'the  Moors  '  at  all.  On  the  contrary, 
she  remained  in  or  near  Calcutta  and  before  very  long  married  ay'ain,  her 
second  husband  being:  a  military  officer  of  field  rank.  By  this  marriage, 
she  had  two  sons  and  I  believe,  one  daughter.  During  her  later  life  she 
reverted  to  the  name  of  her  lirst  husband.  She  was  buried  in  the 
Moorgehatta  (Roman  Catholic  Cathedral)  Churchyard,  Calcutta  ;  the 
site  of  the  grave  was  afterwards,  I  think,  absorbed  by  some  enlargement 
of  a  portion  of  the  church.  There  is  in  existence  still  a  well  executed 
miniature  of  her  painter!  on  the  inside  of  the  lid  of  a  trinket  box  ;  it 
certainly  testifies  to  the  truth  of  what  Holwell  records  about  her  personal 
appearance,  for  the  artist  has  shown  her  in  her  comely   youth." 

And  one  thing  deserves  to  be  recorded  which  Macau- 
lay  has  ignored — one  thing  which  English  self-respect 
will  be  glad  to  set  against  the  cowardice  of  the  runaway 
Governor  Drake.  Of  Leech,  the  Company's  smith,  one 
of  those  who  perished  in  the  Black  Hole,  Holwell  records  an 
incident  which  honours  alike  both  liini  who  tells  the  tale 
and  him  of  wliom  it  is  told  :  — 

**  Here  I  must  detain  you  a  little  to  do  honour  to  the  memory  of  a  man 
to  whom  I  had  in  many  instances  been  a  friend,  and  who  on  this  occasion 


2*2  GUIDE  TO  CALCUTTA. 

demonstrated  his  sensibility  of  it  in  a  degree  worthy  of  :i  much  higher 
rank.  His  name  was  Leech,  the  Company's  .smith,  as  well  as  clerk  of  the 
parish  ;  this  man  had  made  his  escape  when  the  Moors  entered  the  Fort, 
and  returned  just  as  it  was  dark  to  tell  me  he  had  provided  a  boat  and 
would  ensure  my  escape  if  I  would  follow  him  through  a  passage  few- 
were  aoquainted  with,  and  by  which  he  had  then  entered,  (This  might 
easily  have  been  accomplished,  as  the  guard  put  over  us  took  but  very 
slight  notice  of  us.)  I  thanked  him  in  the  best  terms  I  was  able,  but 
told  him  it  was  a  step  I  could  not  prevail  on  myself  to  take,  as  I  should 
thereby  very  ill  repay  the  attachment  the  gentlemen  and  the  garrison 
had  shown  to  ine  ;  and  that  T  resolved  to  share  their  fate  be  it  vrhat  it 
would  ;  but  pressed  him  to  secure  his  own  escape  without  loss  uf  time,  to 
which  he  gallantly  replied  that  then  he  was  resolved  to  share  mine,  and 
would  not  leave  me." 

To  picture  the  Black  Hole,  we  must  go  to  the  East 
Gate  o£  the  Fort.  Entering  this  gate,  by  virtue  of  our 
historical  imagination,  we  turn  to  the  left  (southwards), 
and  mount  the  verandah.  On  our  right  we  find  a  row  of 
arches  looking  down  into  the  Parade  Ground.  On  our  left 
there  is  another  row  of  arches  measuring  8  ft.  9  in.  This 
inner  arcade  on  our  left  had  been  subdivided  into  five 
rooms.* 

The  first  nearest  the  gate  is  the  Court  of  Guards,  and 
we  can  (by  imagination)  see  clearly  into  it  as  the  arches^ 
have  not  been  closed  in.  The  next  three  rooms  are  Bar- 
racks and  are  separated  from  the  verandah  by  a  small 
dwarf-wall  filling  up  the  lower  part  of  the  arches  and 
turning  them  into  windows.  The  last  of  the  rooms  is 
the  Fort  Prison  known  as  the  Black  Hole.  Its  west  side 
is  formed  by  two  brick  arches,  with  a  narrow  window 
left  in  the  centre  of  each  arch.  To  enter  it  we  must 
pass  through  the  adjacent  Barrack  Rooms,  and  we  men- 
tally note  that  the  door  opens  inwards  into  the  Prison — 
a  circumstance  which  will  delay  the  removal  of  the 
survivors  when  the  dead  block  the  way.  Beyond  the 
Prison  there  the  verandah  continues,  but  instead  of  room* 
we  find  a  staircase,  fifty  feet  long,  leading  to  the  South- 
East  rSastion. 

Having  fortified  ourselves  with  this  information,  we 
return  to  Dalhousie  Square,  and  visit  the  site  of  the 
tragedy. 


*  This  will  all  be  easily    realised  if  the  reader  inspects    the  model  on    view 
at  the  Vif^toria  Memorial  Hall  Exhibition. 


THE    HOLWELL   MEMORIAL.  25 

The  tablet  we  find  by  the  gate  runs : — 

Behind  the  gateway, 

immediately  adjoining  this  spot, 

is  the  site  of  the  Black  Hole  Prison 

in  Old  Fort  William. 


Before  us  now  stands  a  marble  rephca,  but  with  the 
improved  proportions  which  the  surrounding  buildings 
require,  of  the  Holwell  Monument.  The  old  obelisk  dis- 
appeared in  1821,  the  legend  being  that  the  then  Governor- 
General  (Lord  Hastings),  considering  it  to  be  impolitic  to 
preserve  in  the  heart  of  Calcutta  a  memorial  of  so  bitter 
a  conflict  between  the  British  and  the  Indians,  ordered 
its  removal.  It  is  known,  on  the  other  hand,  that  the 
old  monument  had  been  ruined  by  a  storm,  and  was 
much  decayed.  The  present  monument  is  a  gift  to  the 
cit}'  from  Lord  Curzon,  and  was  unveiled  by  him  on 
December  19th,  1902.  In  the  original  inscription  only 
the  few  names  that  Holwell  had  been  able  to  re- 
member were  recorded,  but,  thanks  to  the  labours 
of  the  present  Archdeacon  of  Madras,  Mr.  S.  C.  Hill, 
and  his  own  original  researches,  Lord  Curzon  has  been 
enabled  to  add  to  Hoi  well's  record  of  50,  some  30  other 
names.     The  inscriptions  are  as  follows  : — 


This  monument 

has  been  erected  by 

Lord  Ourzon,  Viceroy  and  Oovernor -(General  of  India, 

in  the  year  19(>2. 

Upon  the  site. 

;ind  in  reproduction  of   the  design, 

of  the  original  monument. 
To  the  memory  of  the  123  persons 
who  perished,  in  the  Black  Hole  Prison 

Of  Old  Fort  William, 

on  the  night  of  the  20th  June,  1756. 

The  former  memorial  was  raised  by 

their  surviving  fellow-sufferer, 

J.  Z.  Holwell,  Governor  of  Fort  William, 

on  the  spot  where  the  bodies  of  the  dead 

had  been  thrown  into  the  ditch  of  the  ravelin. 

It  was  removed  in  IS2L 


i 


24  GUIDE    TO    CALCUTTA. 

II. 

To  the  memory  of 

Edward  Eyre,  William  Baillie, 

Revd.  Jervas  Bellamy,*  John  Jenks, 

Roger  Revely,  John  Carse,  John  Law, 

Thomas  Coles,  James  Valicourt, 

John  Jebb,  Richard  Toriano, 

Iklward  Page,  Stephen  Page, 

William  Grub,  John  Street, 

Aylmer  Harrod,  Patrick  Johnstone, 

George  Ballard,  Nathan  Drake, 

William  Knapton,  Francis  Gosling, 

Robert  Byng,  John  Dodd, 

Stair  Dalrymple,  David  Clayton, 

John  Buchanan,  and  Lawrence  Witherington, 

who  perished  in  the  Black  Hole  Prison. 

in. 

The  names  inscribed  on  the  tablet, 
,  on  the  reverse  side  to  this, 

are  the  names  of  those  persons 
who  are  known  to  have  been  killed 
1  or  to  have  died  of  their  wounds 

during  the  Siege  of  Calcutta 
in  June,  17.56, 
and  who  either  did  not  survive 
to  enter  the  Black  Hole  Prison 
^    ',  or  afterwards  succumbed  to  its  effect. 

IV. 
The  names  of  those  who  perished 
in  the  Black  Hole  Prison, 
inscribed  upon  the  reverse  side 
of  this  monument, 
;ae  in  excess  of  the  list 
recoided  by  Governor  Holwell 
upon  the  original  monument, 
the  additional  names,  and 
the  christian  names  of  the  remainder, 
have  been  recovered  from  oblivion 
by  reference  to  contemporary  documents. 

V. 

To  the  memory  of 

Peter  Smith,  Thomas  Blagg, 

John  Francis  Pickard,  John  Pickering, 

Michael  Ceilings,  Thomas  Best, 

Ralph  Thoresby,  Charles  Smith. 

Robert  Wilkinson,  Henry  Stopford, 

William  Stopford,  Thomas  Puriiell, 

Robert  Talbot,  William  Tidecomb, 

Daniel  Maepherson,    John  Johnson  and 

Messrs.  Whitby.  Surman,  Bruce, 

Montrong  and   Janniko,  who  perished 

during  the  Siege  of  Calcutta. 

•  Holwell  writes ;  "I  found  a  stup<ir  coming  on  apace,  and  laid  myself  dovm 
b  y  that  gallant  old  man,  the  Keverend  Mr.  Gervas  Bellamy,  who  lay  dead  with  his 
9on,  the  lieutenant,  hand-in-hand,  near  the  .southernmost  wall  of  the  prison." 


WAS    THR    BLACK    HOLE    AN    ACCIDENT?  25 

VI. 

To  the  memory  of 

Richard  Bishop,  Francis  Hayes, 

Collin  Simson,   John    Bellamy, 

William  Scott,    Henry    Hastings, 

Charles  Wedderburn,  William  Dunbarton, 

Bernard  Abraham,  William  Cartwright, 

Jacob  B'eau,  Henry  Hunt, 

Michael  Osborn,  Peter  Carey, 

Thomas  Leach,  Francis  Stephenson, 

James  Guy,  James  Porter, 

William  Parker,  Eleanor  Weston,  and 

Messrs.  Cocker,  Bendall,  Atkinson,  Jennings, 

Reid,  Barnet,  Frere,  Wilson, 

Burton,  Lyon,  Hillier,  Tilley,  and  Alsop, 

who  perished  in  the  Black_Hole  Prison. 

Facing  the  Hoi  well  obelisk  there  is  a  red  brick  building 
into  which  a  marble  tablet,  bearing  the  subjoined  inscrip- 
tion has  been  inserted  : 

Sixteen  feet  behind  this  wall 
was  the  entrance  of  the  East  Gate 
of  Old  Fort  William  through  which 

the  bodies  of  those  who  perished 

in  the  Black  Hole  were  brought  and 

thrown  into  the  ditch  of  the  ravelin 

on  the  21st  June.  1756. 

Was  the  Black  Hole  tragedy  the  result  of  nothing  more 
culpable  than  stupid  negligence  on  the  part  of  Suraj-ud- 
daula's  officers  ?  The  reader  who  thinks  such  an  explana- 
tion impossible,  should  turn  to  Bosworth  Smith's  Life,  of 
Lord  Lawrence  {Yo\.  IT,  p.  175)  for  an  account  of  an 
incident  in  •which  a  number  of  refugee  mutineers  perished 
in  a  bastion  at  Ujinwalla. 

"Little  expectation  was  entertained  of  tli'j  real  and  awful  fate  which 
had  fallen  on  the  remainder  of  the  mutineers  :  they  had  anticipated,  by  a 
few  short  hours,  their  doom  !  Unconsciously  thf  tiagedy  of  Holwell's  Black 
Hole  had  been  re-enacted.  No  cries  had  W'cw  heard  during  the  night,  in  con- 
sequence of  the  hubbub,  tumult,  and  .shoutini;  of  the  crowds  of  hoisemen, 
police,  tehsll-guards,  and  excited  villageis.  Foity-tive  bodies,  dead 
from  fright,  exhaustion,  fatigue,  heat,  and  pai'tial  suffocation,  were  dragged 
jnto  light  and  consigned,  in  eomm»n  with  all  nthei-  bodies,  into  one  com- 
mon pit  by  the  hands   of  th  ■  village  sweep'^rs  " 


CHAPTER  III. 

Th^:  New  Fort  William. 

"Fort  William  was  not  then  what  it  has  since  become — ^one  of  the  healthiest 
stations  in  India.  Quite  the  contrary.  The  men  were  crowded  into  small 
badly- ventilated  buildings,  and  the  sanitary  arrangements  were  as  deplorable 
as  the  state  of  the  water-supply.  The  only  eflScient  scavengers  were  the  huge 
birds  of  prey  called  adjutants,  and  so  great  was  the  dependence  placed  upon 
the  exertions  of  these  unclean  creatures,  that  young  cadets  were  warned 
that  any  injury  done  to  them  would  be  treated  as  gross  misconduct.  The* 
inevitable  resort  of  this  state  of  affairs  was  endemic  sickness,  and  a  death-rate 
of  over  ten  per  cent,  per  annum."  Roberts  :  Forty-one  Years  in  India,  Vol-  I, 
p.  0. 

Having  spent  a  morning  in  investigating  the  site  of  the 
Old  Fort  William,  we  will  now  devote  an  afternoon  to  the 
new,  and,  subsequently,  by  way  of  refreshment  take  a 
drive  over  a  portion  of  the  Fort  glacis — the  famous 
Calcutta  Maidan. 

Of  the  worth  of  Fort  William  in  modern  warfare,  we  do 
not  profess  to  be  able  to  form  an  opinion.  It  may,  how- 
ever, be  safely  assumed  that  no  hostile  power  would 
nowadays  attempt  to  strike  at  the  British  in  India  by  a 
river  attack  on  Calcutta.  From  the  point  of  view  of  an 
XVIIIth  century  military  architect,  however,  the  present 
Fort  William  is,  perhaps,  one  of  the  finest  things  of  its  kind 
ever  built. 

When,  after  the  fall  of  Chandernagore,  the  decisive 
victory  at  Plassey,  and  the  setting  up  of  Mir  Jafir  on  the 
throne  of  the  murdered  Suraj-ud-daula,  Clive,  in  the 
August  of  1757,  returned  to  Calcutta,  he  found  the  Council 
busily  employed  in  discussing  a  scheme  for  a  new  Fort 
which  was  to  cover  a  site  close  to  the  ruins  of  the  old  one. 
The  great  man,  at  once,  brushed  this  scheme  aside,  and 
chose  for  the  site  of  his  fortress  the  village  of  Govindpur — 
the  native  settlement,  or  "black  town"  created  bv  the 
Setts  and  Bysacks  some  two  hundred  years  before  the  day 
of  Plassev.      The  dislodged  descendants  of  the    "  Pilgrim 


I 


THE    NEW    FORT    IN    BUILDING.  2T 

Fathers "   from    Satgaon    were  compensated,    and,    taking 
with  them  their  sacred  idol,  they  moved  oflf  south-ward.* 

The  building  of  the  present  Fort  was  commenced,  under 
the  direction  of  Captain  Brohier,  in  October,  1757.  The 
fortifications  were  practically  completed,  under  Colonel 
Watson,  in  1781.  Many  and  complicated  were  the  diffi- 
culties of  the  builders :  considerable  were  the  fortunes 
made  by  some  of  them.  The  authorities  at  home  were 
unfavourable.  Captain  Brohier,  Dr.  Wilson  tells  us, 
"  talked  much,  but  did  little  "  Even  Holwell,  when  he 
acted  as  Governor  in  Clive's  absence,  proved  that  a  brave 
man  too  often  learns  the  hard  lessons  of  old  misfortunes. 
Brohier,  in  1760,  got  himself  into  serious  trouble,  and  found 
it  necessary  to  pay  a  visit  to  the  Danish  Settlement  at 
Chinsurah,  "  where  he  could  not  be  found.'  Previous  to 
his  flight  he  had  ofiFered  to  pay  Rs.  76,000  to  vindicate 
his  character  from  the  aspersions  to  which,  he  said,  the 
defalcations  of  his  servants  had  exposed  it.  His  successor 
was  only  a  novice  at  an  engineer's  work.  Reforms  were 
adopted,  but  alas !  the  result  was  a  dearth  of  workmen. 
Another  change  was  made  and  Lieutenant  Polier  succeeded 
Amphlet  as  chief  architect.  Then,  in  1764,  Captain 
Heming  Martin  superseded  Polier,  and  at  once  condemned 
all  that  had  already  been  achieved.  It  seemed  almost 
inevitable  that  the  river  would  shortly  confirm  Martin's 
view  by  washing  away  the  works  on  the  West  Face.  Four 
years  later.  Colonel  Smith  in  a  minute  expressed  an  un- 
favourable opinion  of  the  doings  of  Colonel  Martin,  with 
the  result  that  in  November,  1768,  Martin  resigned  and 
"  returned  to  England  with  a  large  fortune,  as  did  every 
one  who  was  concerned  in  the  erection  of  Fort  William. "t 
His  successor,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Campbell,  r.e.,  succeeded 
in  bringing  order  out  of  chaos.  In  December  1772, 
Major  James   Lillyman,   in  turn,   commenced   to  struggle 


•  One  famous  family  disloUged  from  Govindpur  at  this  time  was  ttiat  of 
Kandarpa  Ohosal.  This  family  removed  to  thp  Bhiikailas  estate  still  owned  by 
them  at  Kidderpore.  Jay  Naravan,  the  founder  of  tlic  C.  M.  S.  College  at 
Benares,  was  a  izrand-son  of  Kand.Trpa. 

t  Calcutta  Revietr.  Vol.  IX,  p  .  424.  Tlie  Cniirt  of  Directors  had  chosen  Capt. 
r'anipbell  to  supersede  Mirtin,  whereupon  the  Local  Government,  despite  Col. 
Smith'^  minute,  appfiinted  Martin  to  fummand  the  Artillery  with  rank  of  Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel, siipersedinK  Captain  Kindersly,  his  senior.  Yet  the  Local  Govern- 
ment adopted  Col  .Smith's  opinion,  and  ordered  the  comitruction  of  the  ravelin* 
which  Martin  held  to  be  unnecessary. 


^8  GllDK  TO  CALCUTTA. 

with  that  mysterious  power  which  pessimists  call  fate 
but  which  historians  would  say  is  naught  else  but  the 
natural  consequences  of  constant  shoddiness  in  practical 
craft.  A  heavy  rain  on  September  1st,  1773,  revealed  the 
hideous  fact  that  "  the  facing  of  the  rampart  is  only  one 
■foot  thick  from  top  to  bottom,  and  as  such  a  wall  is  capable 
of  supporting  little  or  no  pressure  of  earth,  it  has  an 
extraordinary  slope  given,  but  this  is  not  sufficient  to  re- 
move the  defect  of  so  thin  a  wall  in  a  country  like  this 
subject  to  such  heavy  rains.  In  dry  weather  the  earth 
has  little  or  no  pressure,  but  in  the  rains,  at  this  season, 
the  water  insinuates  itself  behind  the  walls,  and  swells  the 
earth,  and  the  facing  being  too  thin  to  bear  any  extraordi- 
nary pressure,  down  it  comes.  "     And  down  it  came. 

Lillyman  died  on  Holy  Innocents'  Day,  1773.  His  suc- 
cessor was  Major  Fortham  who,  with  the  rank  of  Lieute- 
nant-Colonel, worked  hard  at  the  Fort,  until  he  was  at 
length  superseded  by  Colonel  Henry  Watson.  After 
nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  the  works  at  the  New  Fort 
William  were  finished  at  the  total  cost  of  two  millions 
sterling.  By  1781  the  fortifications  were  in  order,  and  the 
storehouses  fit  for  use.  On  the  24th  December  of  that 
year,  there  was  a  general  discharge  of  the  guns  in  honour 
of  the  surrender  of  Negapatam. 

The  Fort,  which  for  convenience  of  description  we  must 
«nter  by  the  Chowringhi  Gate,  is  an  irregular  octagon, 
with  five  sides  towards  the  land  and  three  towards  the 
river.  It  is  completely  surrounded  by  a  deep  and  wide 
moat,  which  is  usually  quite  dry,  but  can  be  flooded  from 
the  river  whenever  necessary.  The  moat  is  crossed  by 
six  draw-bridges,  leading  to  the  six  gates,  which  are 
respectively  designated  the  Chowringhi,  Piassey,  Calcutta, 
AVater,  St.  George's,  and  Treasury  Gates.  There  is  also 
a  sally-port  between  the  Water  and  St.  George's  Gates. 
The  Water  Gate  leads  to  the  river,  and  on  the  directly 
opposite  side  of  the  Fort,  facing  the  east,  is  the  Chowringhi 
Oate,  the  main  entrance  over  which  are  the  quarters  of 
the  General  Commanding  the  District.  Over  the  Treasury 
Gate  is  the  Calcutta  residence  of  the  Commanders-in-Chief. 
The  other  gates  are  also  surmounted  b}'  quarters  occupied 
by  the  chief   officers  of  the  garrison. 


ST.  PETER  S,    FORT     WILLIAM.  2^ 

For  convenience  of  description  we  will  enter  by  the 
Chowringhi  Gate.  On  our  left  we  find  the  little  Roman 
Catholic  Chapel  of  St.  Patrick.  Further  still  to  the  left  is. 
what  was  until  quite  recently  the  Militarj*  Prison.  It  is 
built  on  the  top  of  a  massive  Warehouse,  on  the  front  wall 
of  which  is  a  tablet  bearing  the  following  inscription  : — 

"This  building  contains  51,258  mans  ol  rite  and  20,023^  m£us  of  paddy 
which  were  deposited  by  order  of  the  Governor-General  and  Council,  under  the 
charge  of  John  Belli,  agent  for  providing  victualling  stores  to  this  garrison,  in 
the  months  of  March,  April  and  Maj-,  1782." 

Near  this  are  three  large  racquet  courts.  Returning 
to  the  Chowringhi  Gate,  we  proceed  up  a  graceful  avenue, 
to  the  Garrison  Church  dedicated  to  St.  Peter. 

For  many  years  the  European  troops  in  Fort  William 
must  have  assembled  for  Divine  Service  either  in  some 
Barrack-Room  or  on  the  open  Parade  Ground.  The  first 
Garrison  Chaplain  was  the  Revd.  Thomas  Yate,  who 
commenced  his  duties  in  this  post  on  January  1st,  1772, 
on  a  salary  of  Rs.  535  a  month,  and  a  "  hint  of  favours 
from  the  Government  and  benefactions  from  the  mer- 
chants." The  reader  will  find  a  deeply  interesting  account 
of  Yate's  experiences  in  Archdeacon  Hyde's  Parochial 
Annals   of  Bengal.     We    discover  Yate  at  one  time  in    a 

French  prison  at  Mauritius.      "The  Reverend  Mr.  Y ," 

writes  his  companion  in  adversity  and  confinement, 
"  desired  that  one  of  the  soldiers  might  be  permitted  to 
shoot  him  through  the  head." 

It  has  been  stated  that  the  Government,  having  so  liberal- 
ly provided  for  the  then  small  Presbyterian  community  in 
Calcutta,  were  out  of  common  fairne.ss  bound  to  consider 
the  claims  of  the  English  .soldiery  in  the  Fort.  On  July 
1st,  1817,  the  erection  of  a  Chapel  in  Fort  William  was 
definitely  sanctioned.  A  year  later  it  was  found  necessary 
to  revise  the  plans. 

"  I  have  therefore  to  state  to  you,  Hon'ble  Sir,  that  with  a  view  to  ascertain 
the  sufiBciency  of  the  proposed  site  mentioned  to  his  Lordship,  viz.,  the  top  of 
the  case-mate  where  the  late  Vizier  Alii  was  confined,  I  broke  up  a  small  por- 
tion of  the  roof,  when  to  my  surprise  I  found  three  feet  of  earth,  covered  with 
an  eight-inch  terrace  thrown  over  the  arches  rendering  it  thereby  a  veiy 
unsafe  po-sition.  Thus  disappointed,  and  believing,  as  niay  be  naturally  sufi- 
posed,  that  all  the  gorges  are  of  the  same  construction,  I  was  under  the  neces- 
sity of  looking  out  for  a  site  in  the  interior  of  the  Fort,  and  in  course  turned 
my  attention  to  the  grassed  plot  to  the  eastward  of  the  Razar,  as  a  place  that 


4i()  GUIDE   TO   CALCUTTA. 

appeared  to  the  Most  Hou'ble  the  Governor-General  in  Council  as  well  adapted 
to  the  purpose,  but  after  investigation  I  found  from  the  Garrison  Store-keeper 
through  the  Executive  Officer  that  there  are  two  very  large  and  deep  pits  sunk 
in  that  place,  which  rendered  it  totally  unavailable,  there  are  pits  also  in  other 
places,  as  is  pointed  out  in  reference  to  the  accompanying  sketch  of  the  Fort, 
for  the  deposit  of  charcoal  of  which  there  appeaisto  be  some  thousand  maunds 
in  store.  Under  these  circumstances  the  only  other  spot  I  could  think  of  is 
that  on  which  the  small  and  generally  esteemed  ill-contrived  Cenotaph  stands 
and  as  it  has  never  been  completed,  in  so  far  that  none  of  the  commemorative 
marble  slabs  have  been  fixed,  and  as  the  pulling  it  down,  (if  necessary,  rebuild- 
ing it  cannot  cost  a  great  deal,  the  original  cost  of  it,  as  it  was  only 
Rs.  3,595-16-3,  and  the  estimate  for  the  whole  including  the  marble  slabs  only 
Sa.  Rs.  4,386-10-2),  I  took  theliberty  to  propose  that  site,  and  I  feel  happy  in 
-saying  that  Mr.  Edmondstonc  coincided  in  the  opinion  that  it  would  be  the 
most  appropriate  not  merely  from  the  circumstances  mentioned,  and  because 
it  is  in  the  centre  of  the  Fort  and  because  it  is  in  the  meeting  points  of  all  the 
•direct  roads  from  the  open  gateways,  and  will  form  a  handsome  object  of  view 
from  all  the  approaches  as  also  from  the  Royal  Barracks  and  as  may  be  seen 
by  inspecting  the  plan  it  will  not  interfere  with  or  inconvenience  any  other 
buildings."  Letter  of  Colonel  G.Fleming,  Acting  Chief  Engineer,  to  the 
Hon'ble  G.  Dowdeswell,  Esq.,  Vice-President.     Date  Nov.  10th,  1818. 

In  February  1820,  the  Military  Board  were  acquainted 
that — 

"His  Excellency  the  Most  Noble  the  Governor-General  is  pleased  to  sanc- 
"trion  the  estimate  submitted  by  Lieutenant  C.  Paton,  Assistant  Superintendent 
of  Public  Buildings  in  the  Lower  Provinces,  for  constructing  a  Chapel  in 
Calcutta  to  contain  six  hundred  persons,  amounting  to  Sa.  Rs.  26,033-2-0." 

After  many  years  of  patient  waiting,  Bishop  Middleton 
died  before  the  foundation-stone  of  St.  Peter's  could  be  laid. 
The  foundation-stone  was  laid  by  John  Pascal  Larkins, 
Deputy  Grand  Master  "  in  and  over  the  whole  of  India," 
on  behalf  of  Lord  Hastings  the  Grand  Master,  with  full 
Masonic  ceremonial,  on  the  24th  of  July — thirteen  days 
after  the  Bishop's  burial  and  sixteen  after  his  death*  The 
Church  was  consecrated  by  Bishop  James  on  March  27th, 
1828.  It  is  perhaps  the  prettiest  Garrison  Church  in 
India. 

The  internal  arrangements  of  the  Church  were  consider- 
ably improved  in  the  days  when  the  late  Bishop  of  Lahore, 
Dr.  Matthew,  was  Chaplain  of  the  Fort.  There  is,  behind 
the  High  Altar,  a  stone  reredos  representing  the  Last 
Supper  :  the  arcades  on  either  side  are  filled  with  figures 
of  holy  Angels.  The  pulpit  and  clerks'  desks  contain 
some   beautiful   marbles.     The  east  and  western  windows 

*  A  full  account  will  be  found  in  my  Early  HUtory  of  Masonry  tn  Bengal. 


THE    NEW    FORT    WILLIAM.  31 

are  fitted  with  some  well-painted  glass,  but  the  ill-effects  of 
the  climate  will  probably  demand  a  restoration  very  short- 
ly. The  monuments  are  mainly,  as  might  be  anticipated, 
to  memory  of  the  brave,  and  the  earliest  are  connected 
with  the  warriors  who  fell  in  Afghanistan  in  1841-2,  Col. 
W.  H.  Denne,  whose  memory  and  services  are  commemo- 
rated here,  is  said  to  have  predicted  the  disaster  which 
befell  Elphinstone's  army  even  to  the  detail  of  the  bringing 
of  the  news  of  Jellalabad  by  a  solitary  survivor. 

In  between  the  Fort  and  the  Royal  Barrack,  where  are 
to  be  found  the  Officers'  Mess-rooms,  was  erected,  some  two 
years  ago,  the  electric-supply  house  of  the  Fort.  This  eye- 
sore is  scarcely  apologised  for  by  the  military  ornamenta- 
tion of  its  red-brick  chimney  stack.  The  Garrison  within 
the  Fort  at  the  present  day  usually  consists  of  one  Batta- 
lion of  British  Infantry,  one  of  Native  Infantry,  and  one 
Battery  of  Field  Artillery. 

To  the  South-East  of  8t.  Peter's  Church  is  the  Outram 
Institute.  This  building  was  originally  intended  to  be 
the  palace  of  the  Governor-General,  but  it  was  never  used 
as  such.  Here  in  October  1823,  the  second  Bishop  of 
Calcutta,  the  poet  Reginald  Heber,  found  his  tirst  Calcutta 
residence.  A  description  of  the  building  will  be  found 
in  Vol.  I  of   the  Bishop^s  Journal  published  by  his  widow. 

The  next  places  of  interest  to  visit  are  the  Arsenal  and 
the  Armoury.  (Permission  to  do  so  must  first  be  obtained 
from  the  Conmianding  Officer.)  Here  we  shall  find  a 
perfect  museum  illustrating  military  craft  for  more  than  a 
century  past. 

The  Patlern  Room  not  only  fontains  samples  of  almost  every  conceivable 
kind  of  shell  and  shot  from  the  obsolete  ''chain  shot"  to  the  most  recent 
inventions  of  the  cunningest  doctors  in  arms,  but  a  collection  of  historical 
trophies  which  may,  perhaps,  some  day  adorn  a  more  accessible  museum  in 
the  future  Victoria  Memorial  Hall. 

The  Armoury  is  a  fine  hall  erected  at  the  order  of  Warien  Hastings.  Over 
the  entrance  i8  the  following  inscription  : — 

"Anno  Domini  1777.  These  arms  were  arranged  by  order  and  under  the 
.-iijspices  of  the  Hon'ble  Warren  Hastings,  Esq.,  (TOvernor-Gteneral." 

Leaving  the  Arsenal,  we  will  depart  from  the  Fort  by 
the  Calcutta  Gate.  We  shall,  after  we  have  got  outside 
the  Fort  Precincts,  soon  find  the  white  marble  statue  of 
that  gallant  sailor.  Captain  Sir  William  Peel. 


'62  GUIDE    TO    CALCUTTA.  ' 

William  was  the  3rd  son  of  the  famous  statesman — Sir 
Robert  Peel.  Of  him.  Col.  Malleson  has  well  said  : — "  He 
was  successful  because  he  was  really  great ;  and,  dying 
early,  he  left  a  reputation  without  spot,  the  best  inheri- 
tance he  could  bequeath  to  his  countrymen."  He  entered 
the  Royal  Navy  in  April  1838,  and  was  present  in  several 
operations  on  the  coast  of  Syria  in  1840.  After  subse- 
quent service  in  China,  he  passed  in  May  1844  an  examina- 
tion with  "a  brilliance  that  called  forth  a  public  eulogium 
from  Sir  Thomas  Hastings  and  a  very  flattering  notice 
from  Sir  Charles  Napier  in  the  House  of  Commons." 
After  varied  service  on  the  North  American  and  West 
Indian  Station,  he  was  promoted  to  be  captain  on  January 
10th,  1849.  He  then  planned  a  journey  of  exploration 
into  the  interior  of  Africa  "with  the  hope  of  doing  some- 
thing to  ameliorate  the  condition  of  the  Negro,  and  of  this 
journey — through  Khartoum  to  El  Obeid — he  has  given 
an  account  in  his  book — A  Ride  through  the  Nubian  Desert- 
It  was  in  the  Crimean  War  that  Peel  won  his  first  great 
distinctions  for  bravery.  On  October  18th,  1854,  he 
threw  a  live  shell,  the  fuse  of  which  was  still  burning,  over 
the  parapet  of  his  battery.  Again  at  Inkerman,  and  in 
the  assault  on  the  Redan  he  covered  himself  with  glory. 
He  was,  in  consequence,  made  a  C.  B.,  and  when  the 
Victoria  Cross  was  instituted,  he  was  one  of  the  first  to  wear 
that  much-coveted  decoration.  In  1856  he  was  sent  to 
China,  and  at  Singapore  heard  the  news  of  the  Indian 
Mutiny.  Having  taken  Lord  Elgin  up  to  Hong  Kong» 
Peel's  ship,  the  Shamion,  sailed  for  Calcutta. 


"  At  Calcutta  Peel  formed  a  naval  brigade.  On  14th  August  he  left 
the  ship  with  450  men  and  ten  8-inch  guns.  At  Allahabad,  on  20th 
October,  he  was  re-inforced  by  a  party  of  120  men  ;  and  from  that  time 
was  present  in  all  the  principal  operations  of  the  army.  The  coolness 
of  his  bravery  was  everywhere  remarkable,  and  his  formidable  battery 
rendered  the  most  efficient  services.  The  huge  guns  were,  under  his 
orders,  nianceuvered  and  worked  as  though  they  had  been  light  field- 
pieces.  He  was  nominated  a  K.  C.  B.  on  21st  January,  1858.  In  the 
second  relief  of  Lucknow  on  9th  March  1858  he  was  severely  wounded 
in  the  thigh  by  a  musket-bullet  which  was  cut  out  from  the  opposite 
side  of  the  leg.  Still  very  weak,  he  reached  Cawnpore  on  his  way  to 
England,  and  there,  on  20th  April,  he  was  attacked  by  confluent  small- 
pox, of  which  he  died  on  the  27th." — Prof.  J.  K.  Laughton :— Z>»c«. 
Nat,    Biog. 


::q 


EDEN    GARDENS.  33 

In  gone-by-days,  the  space  between  the  Fort  and  Old  Post 
Office  Street,  was  known  as  the  "  Respondentia  Walk." 
It  was  the  ancient  haunt  "  of  those  fond  of  night  rambles 
and  of  children  with  their  train  of  servants — as  no  horses 
were  allowed  to  go  on  it."  Until  1824,  when  the  Lottery 
Committee  took  the  matter  in  hand, 

"  the  Strand  Road  was — a  low  sedgy  bank,  and  the  river  near  it  was 
shallow,  as  the  deep  channel  was  formerly  on  the  Howrah  side  ;  but  owing 
to  the  formation  of  the  Sumatra  sand  (so-called  from  a  ship  of  that  name 
sunk  there,  whose  wreck  formed  the  nucleu'.  of  a  case  of  mud),  the  deep 
channel  has  been  thrown  to  the  Calcutta  side  from  the  projecting  angle 
at  Howrah  Ghat."     Calcutta  Review,  Vol.  XVII,  pp.  306-7. 

The  road  has  baen  so  extensively  widened  at  the  expan- 
sion of  the  river  that,  it  is  on  record  that,  in  the  days 
when  Lord  Hastings  ruled  in  Bengal  (1813),  nine  fathoms 
of  water  washed  the  ground  where  the  railings  of  the 
Imperial  Library  are  now  erected. 

Entering  the  Strand  Road  we  turn  to  the  North,  and  on 
our  right  we  pass  the  Eden  Gardens — the  gift  of  Lord 
Auckland's  sisters  to  Calcutta.  The  Burmese  Pagoda  which 
so  quaintly  decorates  the  scene,  and,  casting  its  reflection 
into  the  neighbouring  lake,  offers  a  fine  opportunity  to  the 
photographer,  was  brought  from  Prome  after  the  war  of 
18.54.  Lord  Rosebery  well  and  wisely  recommended  the 
Eden  Gardens  for  their  beauty  to  Lady  Dufferin. 

Thirty  years  ago,  the  evening  walk  in  the  Eden 
Gardens  was  sacred  to  the  Calcutta  elite,  and,  if  not 
^  in  uniform,  one  had  to  assume  a  top  hat  and  frock-coat  in 
order  to  mingle  there  with  the  great  ones  of  the  land. 
Then  came  a  wave  of  hberal  sentiment,  and  the  pleasure 
of  listening  to  the  military  band  discoursing  sweet  music 
ceased  to  be  a  monopoly  for  Europeans.  The  hier- 
archy since  that  innovation  has  not  patronized  the  Gardens 
as  in  the  days  of  old. 

Proceeding  up  the  Strand  Road,  and  fascinating  our 
eyes  with  the  vision  of  mighty  steam  vessels  lifting  up 
their  masts  and  funnels  against  the  glories  of  a  sky  that 
is  now  blushing  to  sunset  behind  the  smoke  stacks  of 
Howrah,  we  pass  on  our  left  the  Calcutta  Rowing  Club  boat- 
house  and  a  little  further  on  Babu  Ghat,  a  Doric  colon- 
nade headed  by  this  inscription  : — 

"The  Right  Hon'ble  Lord  William  Cavendish  Bentinck,  Governor-General 
of  India,  with  a  view  to  encourage  public  munificence  to  works  of  public  utility, 

F,  GC  3 


34  GUIDE   TO    CALCUTTA. 

hae  been  pleased  to  determine  that  this  Ghat,  erecte  1  at  the  expense  of  Baboo 
Bajchunder  Doss  in  1838,  shall  hereafter  be  called  Baboo  Rajchunder  Doss' 
Ghat." 

On  our  right  we  take  note  first  of  the  Volunteer  Head 
Quarters,  and  then  the  Calcutta  Swimming  Baths. 

On  our  left  we  find  the  Chandpal  Ghat.  "Tradition," 
wrote  J.  G.  Marshman  in  1845,  "  connects  its  appellation 
with  a  native  name  of  Chandan  Pal — not  of  the  royal 
dynasty  of  the  Pals — who  kept  a  little  grocer's  shop  in  its 
immediate  vicinity." 

Writing  before  the  days  of  Prinsep's  Ghat,  Mr.  Marsh- 
man  brings  out  the  interest  of  the  Chandpal  Ghat. 

' '  This  is  the  port  where  India  welcomes  and  bids  adieu  to  her  rulers.     It  is 
here  that  the  Governors- General,  the  Commanders-in-Chief,  the  .ludges  of  the 
Supreme  Court,  the  Bishops,  and  all  who  are  entitled  to  the  honours  of  a  salute 
from  the  ramparts  of  Fort  William,  first  set  foot  in  the  Metropolis.     To   enu- 
merate all  who  have  landed  at  these  stairs  would  be  to  recount  the  most  distin- 
guished men  of  the  last  seventy  years.     It  is  not  noticed  in  the  map  of  1756  ; 
but  we  know  that  it  was  already  in  existence  in  1774,  when  Francis  and  his 
companions  landed  here,  having  had  their  sweet  tempers  soured  by  a  five  days' 
voyage  from  Kedgeree.     It  was  here  that  the  author  of  Junius  counted  one  by 
one  the  guns  which  boomed  from  the  Fort,  and  found  to  his  mortificati  on  that 
their  number  did  not  exceed  seventeen,  when  he  had  expected  nineteen.     This 
circumstance  appears  to  have  laid  the  foundation  of  the  implacable  hatied  he 
manifested  towards  Hastings  and  which  for  six  years  exposed  the  adminis- 
tration of  the  country  to  contempt.     It  is  unreasonable  to   suppose  that  if 
bis  self-esteem  had  been  gratified  by  two  additional    charges   of   powder,  the 
unseemly  and  dangerous  opposition  which  brought  the  empire  to  the  brink  of 
ruin,  might  have  been  avoided,  and  that  even  the  solemn  trial  in  Westminster 
Hall,  so  memorable  for  the  rank  of  the  victim,  and  the  splendid  genius  of    his 
accusers,    would   never  have   occurred  ?     Upon   what     trifles    do   the    most 
momentous  affairs  of  mankind  appear  to  hang?     And  it  was  at  this  Chandpal 
Ghat  that  the  first  Judges  of  the  Supreme  Court,   who  came  out  to  redress  the 
wrongs  of  India,  but  created  infinitely  more    mischief  than  they  remedied, 
first  set  foot  in  India-     It  was  here,  at  this   Ghat,  that  the   Chief   .lustice, 
as   he   contemplated   the  bare  legs  and  feet  of  the  multitude  who  crowded 
to  witness  their    advent,  exclaimed  to  his  colleague  :     '  See,    Brother,     the 
wretched  victims  of  tyranny.     The  Crown  Court   was  not  established  before 
it  was  needed.  I  trust  it  will   not  have  been  in  operation  six  months  before 
we  shall  see  these  poor  creatures  comfortably  clothed  in  shoes  and  stockings'." 
J.  G.  Marshman  :     "Notes  on  the  Left  or  Calcutta  Bank  of   the    Hooghly." 
Calcutta  Review,  Vol.  Ill,  pp.  432-3  (1845).* 

To  further  explain  this  we  append  a  note  of  our  own 
which  the  reader  can  digest  at  his  leisure. 

"  North's  Regulating  Act  was  passed  in  the  year  1773.  By  this  Act  the 
authority  of  the  Court  of  Proprietors  and  the  Court  of  Directors  at  Leaden- 
hall  Street  was  preserved.  The  Governor  of  Calcutta  became  Governor- 
General  and  to  him  were  subordinated  the  Governors  of  Bombay  and  Madras. 

*  The  story  is  also  told  of  Chambers. 


CHANDPAL   GHAT.  35 

The  supreme  authority,  however,  was  vested  in  a  Council  of  five,  in  which  the 
Govemor-Generars  superiority  was  but  marked  by  his  right  to  a  casting  vote. 
Warren  Hastings  became  Governor-General,  this  Council  consisted  of  one 
experienced  Indian  civilian  oflScial — Richard  Barwell,  and  three  members 
imported  from  home — PhiUp  Francis,  Colonel  Monson  and  General  Glavering. 
By  the  Charter  of  March  26th,  1774,  a  Supreme  Court  of  Judicature  was 
estabhshed  consisting  of  a  Chief  Justice  and  three  Puisne  Judges. 

The  three  Councillors  set  sail  in  the  Anson  :  the  Judges  in  tlie  Ashhurnham  : 
at  once  began  a  war  for  precedence.  At  Madras,  complained  Sir  Philip's 
secretary  and  brother-in-law,  'the  Supreme  Court  always  takes  the  lead  of  us. 
They  sail  better  than  we  do,  and  their  charter  gives  them  precedence.' 

On  October  the  12th  the  vessels  arrived  at  Hijili,  where  they  were  met  by 
budgerows  to  take  them  from  the  ships  to  Calcutta.  After  six  days  the  fleet 
anchored  thiee  miles  below  Calcutta,  and  these  six  days  in  all  probabihty 
improved  no  one's  temper  and  most  certainly  not  Francis's.  On  October  19th 
the  new  grandees  disembarked  at  Chandpal  Ghat,  and  so  says  Francis,  'the 
mean  and  dishonourable  reception  we  met  with  at  our  landing  gave  Glavering 
the  second  shock.'  'I  paid  them  higher  honours,'  wrote  Hastings,  'than 
had  ever  been  paid  to  persons  of  rank  in  this  country,  as  high  even  as  had 
been  paid  to  Air.  Vansitart  and  Lord  Glive,  when  they  came  in  the  first  station 
as  Governors,  men  whose  names  \v\\\  ever  stand  foremost  in  the  memoirs  of 
the  people  of  this  country  and  who  merited  as  much  from  their  employers  as 
any  who  have  filled  or  are  Ukely  to  fill  that  situation.' 

From  the  Chandpal  Ghat,  discontented  with  the  salvo  of  17  guns,  the  gran- 
dees were  marshalled  on  foot,  not  to  the  Court  House  as  they  thought  would 
have  been  most  befitting  their  dignity,  but  to  the  Governor's  own  house 
in  [the  present]  Hastings  Street.  '  The  heat,  the  confusion,  not  an  attempt 
at  regularity.  No  guards,  no  person  to  receive  or  to  show  the  way,  no  state. 
But  surely  Mr.  Hastings  might  have  put  on  a  rufifled  shirt.' ' ' 

Having  satisfied  the  claims  of  our  imagination  at  the 
Chandpal  Ghat, — there  is  not  much  to  be  seen — we  vvill 
turn  our  carriage  round,  and  now  drive  down  the 
Strand  Road  southwards.  As  we  approach  the  Fort  on 
our  left,  we  find  the  Gwalior  Monument,  a  brick  structure 
faced  with  Jeypore  marVjle,  and  crowned  by  a  metal  dome 
manufactured  by  Jessop  tk  Co.,  out  of  guns  taken  from  the 
enemy.  In  the  centre  of  the  upper  storey  is  a  bronze  sar- 
cophagus, on  the  top  of  which  are  inscribed  the  names  of 
oflScers,  non-commissioned  officers,  and  soldiers  of  H.  M.'s 
and  the  Hon'ble  Co.'s  Service,  who  fell  in  the  victorious 
actions  of  Maharajpore  and  Panniar  on  the  29th  Decem- 
ber, 1843. 

Continuing  our  drive  we  come  to  Prinsep's  Ghat 
which  is  a  memorial  to  one  of  the  ablest  and  most 
versatile  of  Enghsh  settlers  in  Bengal.  It  is  much 
to  be  desired  that  some  able  student  will  give  to  the 
records  of  the  Prinsep  family  the  pains  which  Sir  W. 
Hunter  has  given  to  those  of   the  Thackerays.     Prinsep's 


36 


GUIDE   TO   CALCUTTA. 


Ghat  was  intended  to  supersede  the  Chandpal,  as  the 
ceremonial  place  for  the  arrival  of  the  Governors-General. 
Prinsep's  Ghat  was,  we  believe,  the  scene  of  the 
pathetic  departure  of  Lord  EUenborough.  It  now  stands 
over  100  feet  aw^ay  from  the  river  which  once  touched 
its  now  buried  stairway.  Some  of  its  arches  have 
been  filled  in  with  Venetians  in  order  to  form  offices  or 
waiting  rooms. 

James,  born  in  1799,  was  the  seventh  son  of  John  Prinsep,  of  whom  an 
account  will  be  found  on  another  page  of  the  present  work.  An  eye-afFeetioii 
prevented  him  from  following  the  profession  o^  architect,  for  which  he  had 
been  studying  under  tlie  gifted  but  eccentric  Augustus  Pugin.  He  arrived 
in  Calcutta  on  September  15,  1819,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty  became  Assis- 
tant 4ssay  Master,  under  Dr.  Horace  Hayman  Wilson,  the  distinguished 
Sanscrit  Scholar.  His  eyesight  being  completely  restored,  James  Prinsep 
was  able  to  undertake  many  architectural  and  engineering  tasks  of  import- 
ance in  addition  to  his  work  at  the  Mints  at  Calcutta  and  Benares.  At  the 
latter  place,  he  re-built  the  famous  minarets  of  Aiungzeb,  erected  a 
church,  and  built  a  fine  bridge  over  the  Karamansa.  At  Calcutta  he  dis- 
tinguished himself  in  the  construction  of  a  canal  connecting  the  Hughli 
with  the  Sunderbuns.  As  Assistant  Assay  Master  he  himself  constructed 
a  balance  of  such  delicacy  as  to  indicate  a  xtftftf  P^rt  of  a  grain.  It  is, 
however,  on  his  fame  as  the  decipherer  of  Pali  inscription,  that  the  memory 
of  James  Prinsep  rests.  See  our  Chapter  on  the  Museum.  He  left  India 
in  1838,  and  died  in  London,  of  softening  of  the  brain,  on  April  22,  1840. 

John  Prinsep=A  Sister  of  J.  P.  Auriol,  Secretary  to  Warren 
Hastings'  Government. 


I  I 

Charles  Eobert, 
Advocate- 
General  of 
Bengal.     Died 
Junes,  1864. 


Fourth  son, 
Henry   Thoby 

(1792,  1878), 
Indian  Civilian, 


William. 


Seventh  son, 
James. 


Sir  Henry  Valentine            Major-General 

Thoby  Prinsep,  Cameron,  R.  A.        Arthur  Haldi- 

Judge,  High  men,  K.  C.  B., 

Court,  Calcutta.  Bengal 

(Recently  Cavalry, 
retired. ) 


Close  to  the  stranded  Prinsep's  Ghat,  we  find  a 
bronze  equestrian  statue  of  Lord  Napier  of  Magdala, 
Commander-in-Chief  in  India,  A.D.  1870.  Leaving 
the  Napier  Statue  on  our  right,  we  pursue  the 
road  which     leads  from  St.   George's  Gate  in  the   Fort 


NUNCOMAR.  37 

to  the  Kidderpore  Bridge.  We  find,  on  our  right,  the 
Barracks  of  the  Transport,  Commissariat  and  Ordnance 
Departments.  In  Clyde  Row  there  is  the  Calcutta 
Diocesan  Seaman's  Mission  and  Institute,  once  con- 
ducted by  that  well-known  Anglo-Catholic  friar  Father 
Hopkins.  The  civil  part  of  this  district,  still  known 
to  the  natives  as  Cooly  Bazdr,  is  now  called  Hastings. 
In  the  old  days  Surman's  Garden  was  situated  here, 
and  in  old  maps  corresponded  to  Perrin's  Garden  in  the 
North. 

Surman  was  the  official  despatched  by  the  Council  at  Calcutta  in  1717  as 
head  of  an  embassy  to  the  Emperor  at  Delhi.  It  was  close  to  Surman's 
Garden  that  the  ships  were  lying  at  anchor  on  the  fat«ful  day  of  June,  1756, 
when  the  Governor  Drake  gave  the  cowardly  order  to  slip  the  anchor  and 
drift  with  the  tide  down  the  river.  After  the  restoration  of  the  English,  a 
Mr.  Edward  Hundle  (Handle)  purchased  it  at  "an  outi'ry"  for  Rs.  4,000  current 
per  annum  for  an  arrack  farm.  "Upon  a  representation  some  time  after," 
write  the  local  authorities,  "that  it  occasioned  much  prejudice  to  the  mihtary 
who  were  continually  intoxicated  with  liquor,  after  setting  up  public  shops, 
we  suppressed  the  license  given  to  Mr.  Hundle,  and  forbid  his  distiUing  or  sell- 
ing any  more  or  permitting  others  to  do  so."  By  way  of  compensation  for  the 
loss  of  his  license,  Mr.  Hundle  was  appointed  Scavenger  of  Calcutta.  In  1767 
the  Board  purchased  the  garden  from  Hundle  for  Ai'cot  Rs.  10,000,  it  being  in 
their  opinion  "that  a  spot  so  situated  in  regard  to  the  Fort  and  river  should 
not  fall  into  the  hands  of  private  persons."  In  1758,  when  there  were  expec- 
tations of  a  French  fleet  sailing  up  the  river  to  avenge  the  fall  of  Chandernagore, 
Capt.  Brokier  had  warned  the  Board  "that  sinking  ships  at  Culpi  would  not 
hinder  their  coming  up  as  far  as  Tanna's  Reach  [i.e.,  the  Botanical  Gardens] 
at  Sibpur  and  landing  their  troops  near  Surman's  Gardens." 

In  the  dim  twilight  we  have  chosen  an  appropriate  time 
to  summon  up  a  memory  connected  with  this  spot. 
Near  to  this  spot  on  the  morning  of  August  5th,  1775, 
was  hung,  after  conviction  of  a  forgery,  the  native 
magnate  whom  Francis  had  used  as  his  tool  to  embarrass 
his  great  rival  Warren  Hastings — the  unfortunate  Nanda 
Kumar,  who  lives  in  history  as  Nuncomar. 

"  The  next  morning,  before  the  sun  was  in  his  power,  an  immense  concourse 
assembled  round  the  place  where  the  gallows  had  been  set  up.  Gri»f  and  horror 
were  on  every  face,  and  at  last  the  multitude  could  hardly  believe 
that  the  EngUsh  really  proposed  to  take  the  life  of  the  great 
Brahmin.  At  length  the  mournful  procession  came  through  the  crowd. 
Nuncomar  sat  up  in  his  palanquin,  and  looked  round  him  with  unaltered 
serf-nity.  He  had  just  parted  from  those  who  were  most  nearly  connected 
with  him.  Their  cries  and  contortions  had  appalled  the  European  ministers 
of  justice,  but  had  not  produced  the  smallest  effect  on  the  iron  stoicism  of  the 
prisoner.  The  only  anxiety  which  he  expressed  was  that  men  of  his  own 
priestly  caste  might  be  in  attendance  to  take  charge  of  his  corpse.     He  again 


38  GUIDE    TO    CALCUTTA. 

desired  to  be  remembered  to  his  friends  in  the  Council,  mounted  the  scaffold 
with  firmness,  and  gave  the  signal  to  the  executioner.  The  moment  that  the 
drop  fell,  a  howl  of  sorrow  and  despair  rose  from  the  innumerable  spectators. 
Hundreds  turned  away  their  faces  from  the  polluting  sight,  fled  with  loud 
wailings  towards  the  Hooghly,  and  plunged  into  its  holy  waters,  as  if  to  purify 
themselves  from  the  guilt  of  having  looked  on  such  a  crime.  These  feeling-* 
were  not  confined  to  Calcutta.  The  whole  province  was  greatly  excited  and 
the  population  of  Dacca,  in  particular,  gave  strong  signs  of  grief  and  dismay." ' 
Lord  Macau  lay.     Essays. 

The  rights  and  wrongs  of  Nuncomar's  case  have  been 
debated  by  generations  of  historians,  and  Lord  Macau- 
lay's  view  of  the  matter  hardly  commends  itself  to  those 
who  have  sifted  the  facts.  The  reader  will  find  a  pic- 
turesque account  of  the  trial  in  Dr.  Busteed's  Echoes  of 
Old  Calcutta,  and  this  will  more  than  compensate  him 
for  that  loss  of  colour  to  which  Macaulay's  pictures 
are  fated  when  his  statements  are  compared  with  a  wider 
range  of  documentary  evidence  than  his  lordship  cared 
to  make  use  of. 

For  the  question  of  the  rights  and  wrongs  of  the 
Nuncomar  case,  the  reader  must  consult  Beveridge's 
Trial  of  Nanda-K^imar  and  Stephen's  Nuncomar  and 
Imfey.  The  deed  of  charges  against  this  ill-starred  man 
is  preserved  among  the  exhibits  at  the  Victoria  Memorial 
Hall.  Curiously  enough  the  native  writing  remains  fresh 
and   clear,      while    the  English   has   almost    faded    away. 

As  we  reach  the  junction  of  the  St.  George's  Gate  Road 
and  the  Kidderpore  Road,  we  find  St.  Stephen's  School  on 
our  right. 

"Let  us  turn  hence  towards  a  spot  now  much  changed  from  its  pristine 
desolate  appearance,  and  known  by  the  name  of  Coolie  Bazar.  The  pretty 
church  and  the  little  white  mansions,  which  now  adorn  the  spot,  were  not 
then  to  be  seen.  Small  bungalows  like  so  many  mounds  of  straw  broke  the 
level  prospect  of  the  situation,  and  were  the  habitations  of  invalid  soldiers, 
who  had  fought  at  Seringapatam,  or  helped  to  drive  Sujah  from  the  plains  of 
Plassej'.  Living  upon  a  rupee  a  day,  these  old  pensioners  smoked  and  walked, 
and  smoked  and  slept  their  time  away.  One  more  learned  perchance  than 
the  rest,  opened  a  school,  and  while  the  modest  widow  taught  but  the  elements 
of  knowledge,  the  more  ambitious  pensioner  proposed  to  take  them  higher  up 
the  hill  of  learning.  Let  us  contemplate  him  seated  in  an  old-fashioned  chair, 
with  his  legs  resting  on  a  cane  morah.  A  long  pipe,  his  most  constant  compa- 
nion, projects  from  his  mouth.  A  pair  of  loose  pyjamahs  and  a  charkanah 
banian  keep  him  within  the  pale  of  society,  and  preserve  him  cool  in  the  trying 
hot  season  of  this  climate.  A  rattan — his  sceptre — is  in  his  hand  ;  and  the 
boys  are  seated  on  stools  or  little  morahs  before  his  pedagogic  majesty.  They 
have  already  read  three  chapters  of  the  Bible,  and  have  got  over  the  proper 
names  without  much  spelling  ;  they  have  written  their  copies — small    round 


COOUB  BAZAR.  39 

text  and  large  hands ;  they  have  repeated  a  column  of  Entick's  Dictionary 
■with  only  two  mistakes;  and  are  now  employed  in  working  Compound  Divi- 
sion and  soon  expect  to  arrive  at  the  Rule  of  Three.  Some  of  the  lads'  eyes 
are  red  with  weeping,  and  others  expect  to  have  a  taste  of  the  fervla.  Tha 
partner  of  the  pensioner's  joys  is  seated  on  a  low  Dinapore  matronly  chair, 
picking  vegetables  and  preparing  their  ingredients  for  the  coming  dinner.  It 
strikes  twelve  o'clock;  and  the  school  master  shakes  himself.  Presently  tho 
boys  bestir  themselves  :  and,  for  the  day,  the  school  is  broken  up  !"  Caf- 
cutta  Bevieu;  Vol.  XVIII,  p.  443  (1850). 


CHAPTER  IV. 

The  Esplanade. 

High  Court — Town  Hall — Government  House. 

In  Lieut.-Col.  Mark  Wood's  plan  of  Calcutta  in  1784-5, 
Esplanade  Row,  now  cut  into  two  halves  by  the  intersec- 
tion of  Government  House  and  its  grounds,  runs  straight 
up  from  Chandpal  Ghat  to  Dhurrumtollah.  Proceeding 
along  the  Row  we  should  have  found  the  new  Court  House 
where  now  stands  the  High  Court,  then  crossing  the  street 
leading  to  the  then  Post  Office  and  now  known  as  Old  Post 
Office  Street,  we  should  find  then  (as  to-day)  the  Accountant 
General's  Offices.  Crossing  Old  Council  House  Street,  we 
should  see  the  newer  Council  House,  and  then  at  last  we 
reach  the  new  Government  House,  erected  to  supply  the 
place  of  the  ruined  house  in  Old  Fort  William  which  had 
some  time  since  1757  been  turned  into  a  Banks'  hall  or 
Marine  yard.  The  Ne.v  Government  and  Council  Houses 
of  Hastings'  day  have  in  turn  disappeared  and  on  their 
site  is  the  southern  compound  of  the  present  Government 
House.  The  older  Council  House  must  have  been  close  to 
where  the  Imperial  Record  Department  now  carries  on  its 
labour.  In  those  times  Hastings  Street  apparently  ran  up 
as  far  (after  crossing  Council  House  Street)  as  Fancy  Lane. 
In  1784  there  was  no  street  where  Wellesley  Place  now  is, 
so  we  should,  in  order  to  get  from  Hastings  Street  to 
where  the  Great  Eastern  Hotel  now  is,  have  to  walk  up 
Fancy  Lane  and  Larkins'  Lane.  The  erection  of  Govern- 
ment House  led  to  the  construction  of  Wellesley  Place 
and  the  continuation  of  Hastings  Street  by  the  addition  of 
the  south  side  of  Government  Place  to  Old  Court  House 
Street. 

At  the  Banie  time  (i.e.,  that   of  the  erection  of  Government  House)  old 
landmarks  were  obliteratefl,    for   Hastings    Street  marks   the    site  of   the 


-Si 


HIGH    COURT.  41 

vreek  which  once  formed  the  boundary  between  Kalikatta  and  Govindpur. 
At  Fancy  Lane,  the  town  defences  swerved  round  to  the  North,  as  Hyde 
onjectures,  to  avoid  the  phansi  or  gallows  tree.  According  to  the  same 
authority  the  bailey  that  ran  rouJid  the  whole  town  within  the  palisades 
after  leaving  the  phansi,  ran  up  Larkins'  Lane,  up  the  present  British  India 
Street  (Rani  Muddi  Gully),  then  to  the  North,  up  Baretto's  Lane  (once 
Cross  St.)  and  Mango  Lane,  Jlission  Row  to  the  Lai  Baz^r,  then  along  the 
Radha  Baziir,  Ezra  Street  to  Amratollah  Street  where  the  Greek  Church 
now  stands.  At  this  spot  the  bailey  zigzagged  riverwards  to  Armenian 
Street  by  a  lane  which  the  natives  call  Haniam-gullee,  though  the 
Turkish  bath-houses  have  long  ceased  to  exist  in  Calcutta.  This  lane 
passes  near  to  the  Portuguese  Church  of  our  "Lady  of  the  Rosary.'  Here, 
when  the  old  plan  was  made,  the  fences  seem  to  have  been  recently 
thrown  out  at  an  angle  by  extending  the  Armenian  Street  line  until  they 
meet  the  road  running  past  the  Portuguese  Church.  The  palisades  turned 
round  the  burying  place  of  the  Armenians  within  which  stood  their 
church  of  St.  Xazarpth — much  the  same  as  now  to  look  at,  except  that 
perhaps  the  nave  had  not  then  been  extended  to  meet  the  steeple.  '"Leaving 
this,  the  bailey  ran  in  and  out  and  down  to  the  river  by  streets  named 
after  the  sellers  of  reed  mats  and  scouring-brushes,  who  traded  at  the  end  of 
the  town,  and  the  tail  of  Old  China  Bazar.  The  northernmost  limit  of  the 
town's  river  face  was  in  the  present  Raja  Woodman  Street."  Hj'de  :  Parish 
«/  Bengal,  pp.  47-8. 

Our  busines.s  this  morning,  however,  will  be  restricted 
to  the  Esplanade. 

The  High  Court. 

In  1771,  after  the  troubles  created  by  the  great  famine  of  the  previous  year, 
the  Directors  of  the  Company  announced  to  the  Government  of  Bengal  that 
it  was  their  intention  ""  to  stand  forth  as  Dewan,  and,  by  the  agency  of  the 
Company's  servants,  to  take  upon  themselves  the  entire  care  of  the  manage- 
ment of  the  revenues."  This  led  to  transference  not  only  of  the  financial 
but  also  of  the  judicial  control  from  Murshidabad  to  Calcutta.  The  two 
principal  Mahomedan  Courts  at  the  time  were:  — 

1.  The  Sudder  Dewani  Adaulut — the  fountain  of  justice  in  civil  concerns. 

2.  The  Sudder  Nizamat  Adaulut — the  criminal  court  especially  asso- 
ciated with  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Nawab  Nazini. 

In  1772,  under  Hastings'  administration,  it  was  arranged  that  the  former 
court  should  be  presided  over  by  the  Governor  and  Council,  assisted  by  learned 
native  lawyers.  The  proceedings  of  the  second  oi-  criminal  court  were  to  be 
conducted  by  a  dispenser  of  justice  appointed  by  the  Nawab  himself,  who 
although  not  directly  regulated,  was  to  be  carefully  watched  by  the  British 
Government.  In  1790  Lord  C'ornwallis  persuaded  the  Nawab  to  surrender 
into  the  hands  of  the  Company  the  superintendence  of  criminal  justice 
throughout  the  province. 

In  1774.  by  the  Charter  of  March  26th,  was  established  a  Court  of  Chancery 
and  a  Court  of  the  King's  Bench,  consisting  of  a  Chief  .lustice  and  three  Puisne 
Judges.  The  jurisdiction  of  this  body  was  confined  within  the  limits  of 
Calcutta. 

In  1780,  the  Chief  Jiistire,  Sir  Elijah  Inipey,  was  made 
sole  Judge  of  the  Sudder  Dewani  Adaulat,  thus  taking  the 
place  of  the  Governor  and  Council.     Two  years  later  the 


42  GUIDE   TO   CALCUTTA. 

Governor  and  Council  again  assumed  charge  of  the  civil 
court  of  appeal.  In  Lord  Cornwallis'  plan  of  reform 
the  same  system  was  introduced  into  the  other  court,  but 
Lord  Wellesley.  objecting  to  the  combination  of  judi- 
cial with  legislative  and  executive  functions,  introduced 
a  regulation  that  the  Sudder  Dewani  and  Nizamat  Adau- 
luts  should  be  selected  from  the  covenanted  servants  of 
the  Company,  not  being  members  of  the  Supreme  Council. 
In  1862,  after  many  changes,  the  Supreme  Court  was  united 
with  the  Sudder  Adaulut,  and  became  the  High  Court. 

The  Sudder  Dewani  Courts  were  for  many  years  held  in 
the  buildings  originally  intended  for  and  now  used  as  the 
Military  Hospital. 

The  Court  House  on  the  Esplanade  must  have  been  built 
before  1784  :  the  older  one,*  where  the  Charity  School  and 
Mayor's  Court  had  once  existed,  having  been  pulled  down  in 
1792.  The  present  High  Court  was  erected  in  1872.  It  was 
designed  by  Mr.  Walter  Granville,  and  is  supposed  to  resem- 
ble the  Town  Hall  at  Ypres.  It  looks  its  best  as  seen 
from  the  river  ;  its  worst — as  seen  through  gaps  between 
the  houses  in  Old  Post  Office  Street.  The  South  Front  is 
impressive,  although  the  tower  has  a  lock  as  if  it  could 
not  quite  make  up  its  mind  whether  it  ought  or  ought 
not  to  have  a  clock.  The  colonnade  is  well  worthy  of 
study  :  the  designs  of  the  Caen  stone  capitals  being  espe- 
cially worthy  of  attention.  Entering  beneath  the  tower 
we  find  a  noble  staircase  and  Chantrey's  statue  of  Sir 
Edward  Hyde  East  (Chief  Justice,  1813— 1822).t  The  first 
floor  includes  seven  courts,  the  Judges'  and  the  Bar 
Libraries,  and  sundry  offices.  On  the  upper  floor  are  the 
chambers  of  the  Advocate  General,  the  Legal  Remem- 
brancer, etc.,  etc.,  into  which  there  is,  let  us  trust,  no 
reason  for  the  reader  to  intrude  himself.  But  he  will  not 
fail  to  inspect  the  interesting  collection  of  portraits  in 
the  Judges'   Library  and  the  Courts 


*  On  the  site  ncivv  occupied  hy  St.  Andrew's  Kirk. 

t  On  tlie  steps  of  tlie  Higli  Court,  on  September  20,  1871.  an  assassin  stabbed 
Sir  John  Paxton  Norman,  the  Offlciatanc  Chief  .Fustice  of  Bengal.  From  the  High 
Tourt,  Sir  John  was  brought  to  Messrs.  Thaoker,  Spink's  place  of  business  in 
Government  Place,  where,  after  a  night  of  sutfering.  he  died  on  the  morning  of 
the  2l9t.  The  murderer  was  temporarily  confined  in  the  room  in  which  the 
editing  of  the  Indian  Directory  is  now  done. 


HIGH    COURT.  43^ 

JUDGES'  LIBRARY. 

Sm  Robert  Chambers.  Chief  Justice       ...     By   R.  Home,  or  perhaps  by 

Devi's. 

Half  length,  a  copy  hangs  in  the  Dinins: 
Hall  of  Univei-sity  College,  Oxford. 

Sir  Lawrence   Peel.  Chief  Justice.   183.3,  By  Grant. 

1842-55. 

Sir  Edward  Ryan,  Chief  Justice  ...         By  Sir  Martin  Grant. 

•John  Herbert  Harrington,  I.C.S. 

Hon'ble  John  Russell  Colvin,  Liedt.- 
GovERNOR,  N.-W.  Provinces. 

Hon'ble  C.  BiNNY  Trevor,   I.C.S. 

PRINCIPAL  COURT,  APPELLATE   SIDE. 

Sir  Elijah  Impey,  Chief  Justice  ...  By   Zoffany. 

Full  length,  standing.  Beneath  the  picture 
i.s  'Zoffany — 1782."  Zoffany,  however,  did 
not  leave  England  till  1783,  and  Impey  went 
home  in  December  of  that  year.  The  date 
i.4  probably  wrongly  given.  There  is  a  por- 
trait of  Impey  by  this  Artist  in  the  Xationa! 
Portrait  Gallery. 

Sir  Henry  Russell.  Chief  Justi-^e,  1806.  B>i  Chinmry. 

Sir  Richard  Garth,  Chief  Justice. 

Sir  .John  Anstruther.  Bart..  Chief  Justice. 

1798. 

In  the  Second  Branch  Court,  appellate  side 
(West  of  the  principal  staircase). 

The  Hon'ble  Sumbhoonath  Pundit  (the  fir.^t 
native  who  actually  sat  on  the  bench  of 
the  High  Court). 

In  the  Principal  Court  on  the  Original  Side 
(East). 

*  Sir  Eli.jah  Impey,  Chief  Justice  ...  By  /{"Ok. 

"Shows  a  very  marked  double  chin.  This 
is  probably  a  faithful  likeness,  as  it  has  been 
engraved  for  Impey's  Memoir  by  his  son.  In 
this  his  full  length  figure  is  standing  with  one 
hand  raised,  as  though  the  subject  were 
addressing  an  audience.  In  both  portraits  the 
face  wears  a  self-satisRed  and  rather  bene- 
volent expression."  Busteed  :  Echoes  of  Old 
Calcutta,  p.  95, 

Sib     VViluam      Bobouohs,     Bart.,     Chief     fiy  Sir  Thomas  Lawrence. 
Justice,  1806-15, 


•  This  picture  has  been  transferred  to  the   Victoria  Memorial  Hall,  Calcutta. 


44  GUIDE   TO    CALCUTTA. 

Sir  Francis  Workman  Macnaghten  ..  By  Chinnery. 

Sir  Francis,  a  Puisne  Judge,  was  the  father 
of  Sir  William  Hav  Mafiiacrhtcn,  who  was  mur- 
dered atCabul,  Dec.  2},  1841. 

The  Town  Hall. 

The  funds  for  building  the  lown  Hall  were  raised  by  a 
series  of  annual  lotteries  organised  under  the  patronage 
of  the  Government  of  India  during  the  years  1806 — 1808. 
The  site  of  the  Old  Court  House,  where  now  stands 
St.  Andrew's  Kirk,  was  at  first  favoured,  but  in  the  end, 
the  present  site,  despite  certain  legal  defects  in  the  title- 
deeds,  was  acquired.  The  designs  were  executed  by  Col. 
Garstin  and  Capt.  Aubury. 

The  steps  which  lead  up  to  the  southern  portico  are 
chiefly  for  use  on  such  ceremonial  occasions  as  the  proclama- 
tion of  newly  acceding  Emperors  of  India.  The  ordinary 
entrance  is  by  the  northern  portico.  Ascending  the  steps 
we  find  ourselves  in  a  noble  vestibule  with  two  flights  of 
stairs  leading  to  the  upper  hall.  The  marble  floors  of  the 
lower  hall  are  at  the  present  seldom  trodden  by  the  feet 
of  Calcutta  folk,  and  indeed  the  necessity  of  underpining 
the  wooden  floor  of  the  upper  and  more  commodious  hall 
has  practically  rendered  the  fine  lower  hall  useless.  As 
we  enter  the  lower  hall  we  pass  the  white  marble  statue  of 
Maharaja  Ramanath  Tagore,  Bahadur,  c.s.i.,  who  died 
in  the  year  1871.  At  the  We.st  end  is  a  colossal  monument 
to  Lord  Cornwallis  sculptured  by  the  younger  Bacon.  The 
figure,  in  the  guise  of  a  Roman  general,  does  not  lend 
itself  to  admiration,  but  the  two  seated  symbolical  figures 
are  far  too  good  to  be*  hidden  away  in  so  deserted  although 
yet  so  nobl*?  a  hall.  The  figure  of  truth,  despite  her 
conventional  hand-mirror,  proves  that  prettiness,  no 
less  than  magnificence,  can  be  caught  on  the  wing  by 
the  sculptor's  craft.  A  statue  of  the  Marquess  of  Hastings 
once  graced  the  eastern  end,  but  has  been  since  removed 
to  Dalhousie  Square.  In  the  south  vestibule  stands  West- 
macott's  marble  statue  of  Warren  Hastings — soon  to  be 
removed  to  the  Victoria  Memorial  Hall. 

*  The  Oovnwallis    Memorial  will   ultimately  be  transferred  to  the   Victoria 
Memorial  Hall. 


TOWN     HALL.  45 

Ascending  the  eastern  staircase  (on  our  right  as  we 
leave  the  lower  hall)  we  find  on  the  first  landing  a  marble 
bust  of  Sir  H.  Leland  Harrison.  On  the  walls  are  por- 
traits of 

Majoe-General  Sir  W.  Knott  (born  1872,  died  1845). 

Keshab  Chunder  Sen — The  founder  of  ttie  Brahmo    Somaj — whose  nam* 
will  be  so  familiar  to  readers  of  Max  Mliller's  writings. 

Sir  C.  Metcalfe,  who  is  here  commemorated  as  "the  Liberator  of  the  Indiaa 
Press. ' ' 

Reaching  the  upper  floor,  in  the  vestibule,  we  find  por- 
traits of 

H.  M.  the  late  Queen-Empress. 
The  Prince  Consort. 

Sir  H.  Wylie  Norman,  G.C.B.,  G.C.M.,  CLE. 
C.  H.  Cameron. 
Raja  Sir  Radha  Kanta   Deb,    Bahadur,   K.C.S.I.  (a  grandson  of    Raja 

Nubenkrissen). 
Raja  Sir  Peossono  Kumar  Tagore. 

And  marble  bursts  of — 
C.  B.  Greenlaw.  Secretary  to  the  Marine  Board.     (In  commemoratioa  of 

services  rendered  in  securing  communication  by  steam.) 
John  Palmer — a  noted  merchant. 

The  upper  hall,  like  the  lower  one,  is  162  feet  in  length 
and  65  in  breadth,  and  has  aisles  formed  by  Doric  colon- 
nades. At  the  East  end  is  a  platform,  and  at  the  west  a 
musician's  gallery.  On  the  South  side  there  is  a  large 
room  used  until  quite  recently  by  the  Calcutta  Cor- 
poration for  its  meetings.  The  lower  hall  was,  of  course^ 
intended  as  a  Dining  Saloon,  the  upper  as  the  Bali- 
Room  and  the  side  rooms  as  Card  Rooms.  We  will  now 
inspect  the  collection  of  paintings. 

WeH  Walt. 

The  Installation  of    H.   R.    H.    the  Duke  of  Edinburgh   by  His 
Excellency  the  Earl  of  Mayo  as  a  Knight  Grand  Commander  oif 
THE  STAR  OP  India  on  December  30th,   18(59. 
North  Wall. 

The  Rev.  C.  H.  A.  Dall.     A  Unitarian  minister  of  note  in  Calcutta. 

James  Gibbs,  C.S.L,  CLE.,  Member  of  the  Supreme  Council.  Died  1880. 
A  very  notable  work  of  art. 

Robert  Tuenbull.  Secretary  to  the  Calcutta  Corporation.  1887-88. 
Died  1901. 

.Mancherjee  Rustomjee.  First  Indian  Sherifl'  of  Calcutta,  1874. 
Consul  for  Persia.  1870-9.     Born  1816.  died  1891. 


46  GUIDE  TO  CALCUTTA. 

SiE  William  Grey,  K.C.S.I.  Member  of  the  Supreme  Council,  1862-()7. 
Ijeutenant-Governor  of  Bengal,  1867-71.  Died  May  15,  1878.  'H.- 
was  a  Bengal  whig  of  the  better  kind,  with  a  view  of  administration  resting 
on  a  toleration  of  opinions,  and  even  prejudices,  and  a  great  kindness  to 
native  India;  and  native  India  has  preserved  his  portrait  as  that  of  a 
friend."     Sir  W.  Grey  was  Governor  of  Jamaica  in  1874. 

Marchioness  of  Dufferin  and  Ava,  C.I.      By  J.  J.   Shannon,  A.  R.   A. 
In  black  dress.     This  portrait  is  either    intended  to  be  viewed  by  arti 
fioial  light  or  else  its  pigments  have  suffered  from  the  effects  of  the  climate. 
Viewed  by  daylight  it  is  as  blotchy  as  a  piece  of  stage  painting. 

Marchioness  of  Lansdowne,    C.I.      By   J.    J.   Shannon.     The  pigments 
have  apparently  suffered  from  the  effects  of  the  climate. 

Sir  Rivers  Thompson,   K.C.S.I.,  CLE.      By  James  Archer,  R.  S.  A. 

The  Rt.  Revd.  Bishop  Daniel  Wilson,  D.D.     Fifth  Bishop  of  Calcutta  and 

First  Metropolitan  of  India  and  Ceylon. — By  Marshall  Caxton. 
Sir  H.  Leland  Harrison.     Chairman  of  the  Calcutta  Corporation.     Died 

1892. 

South  Wall. 
Mono  Mohan  Ghose.     Born  1844,  died  1896.     By  B.  P.  Banerjee. 
Revd.  Alexander  Duff,  D.D.     Born  1806,  died  1878. 
Colonel  Colin  Mackenzie.     Governor-General  of  Madras,  1810-1816.    Sur. 
veyor  General  of  Calcutta,  1816-1821.     Died  1821. 

DwAEKANATH  Taooee.     First  Indian  Justice  of  the  Peace.    Born  1794,  died 
in  England  in  1846.     By  F.  R.  Say. 

Sir  H.  M.  Durand,  K.C.S.I.,  C.B. 

The  Rt.  Revd.  Bishop  Johnson,  D.D.      Bishop  of  Calcutta  and  Metropoli- 
tan (1876-1898). 

Henry  Lee,  I.C.S.     Died  1895. 

Raja  Kali  Krishna  Deb,  Bahadur.     Born  1809,  died  1874. 

A  learned  Sanscrit  Scholar  and  leader  of  Orthodox  Hindoos.     Grandson 

of  Nubenkrissen. 

F.  J.  Johnstone,  CLE.,  M.I.C.E.     Chief  Engineer  of  Bengal,  P.  W.  D. 

Descendinc  V>y  the  western  stairway  we  notice  a  por- 
trait of  Mr  Wilberforce  Bird,  once  of  the  Supreme  Council, 
and  Viscount  Lake  on  horseback.* 

Government  House. 

In  Hickey's  Bengal  Gazette,  for  January  29th,  1780,  the 
first  issue  of  the  first  Enghsh  Newspaper  in  Bengal,  we 
find  Wilhamson,  the  auctioneer  advertising  : — 

"The  estate  of  the  late  Lt.-Col.  John  Fortnom,  the  elegant  pucca  house 
occupied  by  the  Governor-General,  and  the  godowns,  situate  to  the  soutji  of 
the  old  burial  ground  and  powder  magazine.  " 

*  Tran  sferred  to  the  Victoria  Memorial  Hall  collection. 


GOVERNMENT    HOUSE.  47 

The  old  burial  ground  and  powder  magazine  are,  of 
course,  the  site  of  St.  John's  Church.  It  is,  therefore, 
supposed  that  until  about  1780  Warren  Hastings'  official 
residence  as  Governor  of  Fort  William  was  situated  where 
Messrs.  Burn  «fe  Co.  to-day  do  business,  and  that  perhaps 
the  very  house  still  stands.  In  Bailie's  series  of  Calcutta 
views,  to  be  seen  hanging  in  frames  on  the  staircase  walls 
of  the  Imperial  Library,  is  a  picture  which  exhibits  the 
Court  House  and  Governor's  House  as  they  stood  in  1792. 
Under  Lord  Wellesley,  whose  sense  of  the  value  of  pomp 
does  not  warrant  Mackintosh's  description  of  him  as  a 
"Sultanised  Englishman,"  the  present  Government  House 
came  into  existence.  The  architect  was  Captain  Wyatt  of 
the  Corps  of  Engineers,  and,  to  a  limited  extent,  Kedleston 
Hall,  the  home  of  our  present  Viceroy,  was  taken  as  a 
pattern.  Long  records  that  Rs.  80,000  was  spent  in  ac- 
quiring fresh  ground,  13  lacs  on  the  building,  and  half  a 
lac  on  furniture.  The  first  stone  was  laid  on  Feb.  5, 
1799,  by  Mr.  Timothy  Hickey.  On  May  the  4th,  1802, 
the  anniversary  of  the  fall  of  Seringapatam,  H.  E. 
the  Governor  General  gave  a  breakfast  to  "  above  seven 
hundred  of  the  principal  ladies  and  gentlemen  of  the  settle- 
ment," and  "  on  this  occasion,  the  great  apartments  of  the 
new  Government  House  were  opened  for  the  fii'st  time." 
On  August  12th  of  the  same  year  "  H.  E.  the  most  noble 
Governor-General  entertained  at  breakfast,  in  the  new 
Government  House,  Major-General  Baird  and  the  officers 
of  the  army  returned  from  Egypt,  together  with  all  the 
principal  ladies  and  gentlemen  of  the  settlement,  and  the 
Governor  and  several  of  the  principal  ladies  and  gentle- 
men inhabitants  of  the  Danish  settlements  of  Serampore." 

On  January  the  27th,  1803,  a  "most  splendid  entertain- 
ment" was  given  at  the  new  Government  House  "in 
honour  of  the  general  peace"  and  perhaps  as  a  fitting  dis- 
play to  grace  the  formal  opening  of  the  new  palace. 
Lord  Wellesley  was  at  the  time  dweUing  at  the  Treasury, 
but  this  evening  he  came  in  state  from  the  Fort  where  he 
had  been  dining  with  Major  Calcroft,  the  Town  Major. 
It  must  have  been  a  truly  great  occasion  :  the  ramparts  of 
Fort  William,  the  shipping  in  the  river,  and  the  Esplanade 
were  all  brilliantly  illuminated.   A  full  account  will  be  found 


4^  C4UIDE    TO    CALCUTTA. 

in  Lord  Valentia's  Travels  or  in  Pearce's  Memoirs  of 
Lord  Wellesley  or  in  Seton  Karr's  third  volume  of 
Selections  from  Calcutta  Gazettes.  In  January  1903, 
H.  E.  the  present  Viceroy  marked  the  anniversary  by  a 
great  ball  at  which  the  guests  made  their  appearance  in 
costumes  of  Lord  Wellesley' s  time- 

The  House  stands  in  a  garden  of  about  six  acres.  The 
grand  entrance,  with  its  great  ceremonial  stairway,  faces 
north,  and  before  it  there  is  an  interesting  cannonshaped 
as  a  dragon,  placed  here  by  Lord  EUenborough  as  a  trophy 
of  the  Chinese  war.  There  are  several  other  interesting 
trophies  of  the  kind  dotted  about  the  grounds.  The  length 
of  the  building  Ues  between  east  and  west — to  secure  the 
south  breeze  on  which  Calcutta  folk  so  much  rely  as  the 
"cold  season"  becomes  humid.  The  Royal  arms  in  the 
north  pediment  and  on  the  north  and  south  sides,  as  well  as 
the  classical  urns  were  all  added  by  Lord  Curzon,  who 
also  had  changed  the  dirty  yellow  of  the  exterior  of 
the  house  for  pure  white.  The  public  or  ceremonial 
rooms  occupy  the  main  portion  of  the  building  :  the  private 
accommodation  for  the  Viceroy's  family  and  staff  are  in 
the  wings.  The  ordinary  entrance  is  from  a  passage  be- 
neath the  ceremonial  stairway. 

On  the  first  floor  to  the  left  on  entering  by  the  external 
stairs,  is  the  Breakfast  Room,  looking  out  over  Govern- 
ment Place.  East  of  this  the  Council  Room,  the  Throne 
Room,  where  we  see  the  throne  of  Tippu  Sultan,  and  the 
Dining  Room,  with  its  chunam  columns,  china  marble 
floor,  and  busts  of  the  Caesars,  are  on  this  floor. 

On  the  second  floor  is  the  great  ball-room,  the  chande- 
liers, like  the  busts  of  the  Csesars  below,  are  said  to  have 
been  captured  from  a  French  ship  during  one  of 
the  wars,  but  it  is  more  probable  that  they  formed  part 
of  the  spoil  of  Chandernagore  once  housed  in  the  long 
since  vanished  Court  House. 

The  collection  of  paintings  contains  soine  very  good  and 
some  very  poor  portraits,  and  one  or  two  landscapes 
which  one  would  rather  not  characterise.  The  collection 
has  been  enriched  by  the  transference  of  the  Mysore  Col- 
lection from  Barrackpore  House. 


LIST    OF    PORTRAITS. 


49 


LrST  OF  PORTKAlTiS. 
Council  Chamber. 

1.  Viscount    Hakdinge— born    1785.    died     By  G.  F.  Clarke  after  Sir  F. 

1856.     Governor-General     of     India.  Grant,  P.  R.  A. 

1844-48. 

Three-quarter  length.  Dressed  in  a  black 
coat,  with  the  Star  of  the  Order  of  the 
Bath,  and  dress  sword.  The  background 
shows  a  small  fort  on  the  right  and  a 
gun  on  the  left. 

2.  Earl  of   Elgin  and  Kincardine — born     By  O.  F.  Clarke,  after  Sir  F, 

1811,  died  1863.  |  length.     Viceroy  and  Grant,  P.  R.  A. 

Governor-General  of  India,  1862-63. 

Diplomatic  uniform.  Decorations  ; — Stars 
of  the  Thistle  and  the  Bath,  China 
War  Medal,  and  Ribbon  of  the  Bath. 
County  Council  Original  in  possession 
of  Fife. 

3.  Richard,   Earl  of  Mornington,  after-    Possibly  by  Home. 

wards  Marquess  of  Wellington,   K.    G., 
K.  P.— born  1760,  died  1842. 

Full  length  in  Peer's  robes  over  Windsor 
uniform  and  wearing  two  Stars,  one  of 
which  is  the  Order  of  St.  Patrick,  of 
which  he  was  an  original  member. 
The  picture  rests  on  two  tiger  heads 
between  which  is  a  representation 
oi  tiger  skin  supporting  a  curious 
wooden  panel  picture  probably  depict- 
ing the  installation  of  Krishna  Raja 
Wadiar,  as  Raja  of   Mysore. 


Robert,  fir.st  Lord  Clive,  K.  B. — 
born  1725,  died  1774.  Governor  of 
Bengal,  1768—1760,  and  1765—1767. 
i  length.  Face  |  to  the  right.  In 
scarlet  uniform,  buff  coloured  waist- 
coat and  breeches. 

Warren  Hastings.  Born  1733,  died 
1818.  First  Govern or-General  of  Fort 
William,  1774. 

Full  length.  Face  |  to  left,  head  bald,  and 
face  clean  shaven.  Red-brown  coat, 
black  knee-breeches,  and  blue  grey 
stockings.  Motto  (above  but  formerly 
below)    ''Mens  aequa  in  arduis." 


By  Dance. 


Copy  by  Miss  J.  Hawkins    of 
Original  by  Devis,  formerly 
in    the    Calcutta    Council 
Chamber   but    now  in   the 
National  Portrait  Gallery.'' 


*  The  original  is  very  shortly  to  be  brought  back  to  India  and  will  be  huae 
<iither  here  or  in  the  Victoria  Memorial  Hall. 


F,  GC 


f)0 


GUIDK    TO    CALCUTTA. 


Mahquess    of  Coknwallis,   K.G. — born     By  Devis. 
1733,  died  1805.     Governor-Gcneral    of 
Fort  William  and  Commander-in-Chief, 
September    1786— October    1793,    and 
in    180o. 
Full    length     and    standing,  wearing  over 
scarlet   coat  the  Garter  Ribbon.     Cost 
about  £2,166-0-8  raised  by  public   sub- 
scription in  1793. 
.     Earl  of  Minto — born   1751,  died   1814.     By  Chinnery. 
Peer's  robes  over    Windsor  uniform  : 
full  length. 

CORRIDOR   LEADING  TO  COUNCIL  CHAMBER 


Copy  by  A.   Morneimck  afler 
O.  Richmond,  R.  A. 


8.  Viscount      Halifax,       P.C,    G.C.B.— 

born  1800,  died  1889.  President  of  the 
Board  of  Control,  1852—65.  Secretary 
of  State  for  India,  1856—1866.  J 
length.  Wearing  over  black  coat  and 
white  waistcoat,  the  red  ribbon  of  the 
Bath,  and    on    his   left  breast  the  Star. 

9.  Lord    William     Bentinck — born    1774, 

died  1839.  Governor-General  of  Fort 
William,  1828—1834  and  first  Governor 
of  India,  1834-1835.  Commander-in- 
Chief,  1833.  -i  length.  In  red  uniform 
with  Ribbon  of  the  Order  of  Hanover, 
Stars  of  the  Bath  and  Hanover,  and 
Badge  of  the  Bath. 

10.  Eael  of    Auckland — born    1784,    died 

1849.  Governor-General  of  India,  1836 
— 1842.     J  length  in    Peer's  robes. 

11.  Marquess  of  Ripon — born  1827.     Vice- 

roy and  Governor-General,  1880 — 1884; 
^  length,  seated.  In  Peer's  robes  and 
diplomatic  uniform  and  insignia  of  the 
Star  of  India. 

12.  Marquess  of  Dufferin  and  Ava — born 

1826,  died  1903.  Viceroy  and  Governor- 
General  ;  J  length.  In  overcoat  with 
fur  lining.     Order  of  St.  Patrick. 

13.  Earl  of   Auckland — bom    1784,    died 

1849.  Governor-General  of  India,  1836 
— 1842.  Wearing  Ribbon  of  the  Order 
of  the  Bath. 
14.*  Marquess  of  Hastings — born  1754,  died 
1826.  Governoi-General  of  Fort  Wil- 
liam and  Commander-in-Cliief,  1813 — 
23.  J  length,  seated.  In  a  red  mili- 
tary coat,  with  Star  on  left  breast. 

[When  this  picture  was  sent  home  for  repair  in  1890  it  had  pasted  ou  the 
strainer,  a  piece  of  paper  with  the  words     'most  probably  Sir  Eyre  Coote.' 


A  copy  of  a  picture  belonging 
to  the  Duke  of  Portland. 


By  A.  Slmrl   Worllc,/. 


By  &'.  ./.  Poynter,  R.  A. 


Copy  by  Miss    Haiokins  of 
Portrait  by  F.  Holl,  R.  A. 


Unknown. 


Unknown. 


•  This  picture  is  now  in  the  Victoria  Memorial  Hall  Collection. 


LIST    OK    PORTRAITS.  51 

The  reader  should  compare  this  picture  with  No.  W  and  the  poitrait  of  the 
Marquess  of  Hastings  at  Freemasons'  Hall.] 

15.  Viscount   Canning — born     1812,     died     Bij  C    A.   Muniewick. 

1862.  Governor-General  of  India,  1856 
— 5S :  first  Viceroy  and  Governoi- 
General,  1858—1862.  Full  length 
seated,  and  wearing  Star  of  the  Order 
of  the  Star  of   India. 

16.  John  Lawrence — First   Lord  Lawrence    By   Val.  Priiisep,  R.  A. 

— born  1811,  died  1879.  Viceroy  and 
Governor-General,  1864 —  1869.  J 
length.  Ribbon  of  the  Star  of  India, 
and  Stars  of  the  Orders  of  the  Bath 
and  of  India. 

17.  Earl  of  Mayo— born  1822,  died  1872.     By  Oeor'/n  F.  Clarke. 

V'iceroy  and  Governor- General,  1869 — 
72.  Full  length,  standing.  In  a  pale 
blue  mantle.  Insignia  of  Grand  Master 
of  the  Order  of  the  Star  of  India.  On 
left  breast  Star  of  the  Order  of  St. 
Patrick.  Background  shows  a  view  of 
a  portion  of   Government  House. 

18.  Lying-in-State  of  the  Eabl  of  Mayo.     By  A.  E.  Caddy* 

The  mourners  shown  are  Major  the 
Hon.  E.  R.  Bourke,  two  children  of 
the  deceased  and  the  Countess  of  Mayo 
with  Aide-de-Camp. 

NORTH-EAST  STAIRCASE. 
[Ground  Floor.l     "» 

19.  Sheikh      Karim     Baksh.      The    Barra     Unknown. 

Kansamah  (Head-butler),  1848—1877. 

[First  Floor.  J 

20.  The  Earl  of  Lytton— born  1831,  died     Copy  of  a  portrait  by  Sir  J. 

1891.     Viceroy  and  Governor-General,  E.  Millais,  Bart.,  R.  A. 

1876—1880.     I  length  in  frock  coat. 

21.  The  Earl  of  Northbrook.     |  length.     By  W.  W.  Ouless,  R.  A. 

Seated  and  in  Peer's  robes. 

[Between  1st  and  2nd  Floors]. 
22.*  Governor  J.  Z.  Holwell  ...  Probably  by  Zoffany. 

BREAKFAST  ROOM. 

(First  floor    looking     over  Government  Place   and  to  the  left  of  the 

Entrance  from  great  external  stairs.] 

23.     Marquess  of   Dalhousie— born    1812,    By  Sir  J.W.Gordon,P.R.8.A. 
died  1860.     Governor-General  of  India, 
1848—18.56.     FuU   length,   sitting.     In 
a  black  suit :    Ribbon  and  Star  of  the 
Thistle. 


This  picture  is  now  in  the  Victoria  .Memorial  Hall  Collection. 


1)2  GUIDE    TO    CALCUTTA. 

2-1.     Earl     of    Ellenboeough — born   1790,   liy  J.   Hayes. 
died  1871.     Governor-General  of  India, 
1842—44.     Full   length,  standing  bare- 
headed  and    wearing  Ribbon  and  Star 
of  the  Order    of  the  Bath. 

25.  Chaeles  Theophiltjs,  Baron  Metcalfe  By  J.  Hayes. 

— born    1785,   died    1846.      Governor- 

General  of    India,   20fch  March  1835  to  J 

4th  March  1836  (pending  the  arrival  of 

I/ord  Auckland). 

26.  John  Shore,  Baron  Teignmouth — born 

1751,  died  1834.  Governor-General  of 
Fort  William,  1793  to  1798. 

THRONE  ROOM. 

27.  King  George  III,  1738—1820. 

28.  Chaelotte  Sophia    of    Mecklenburg  By  Alan  Ramsay. 

Steelitz,  Queen  Consort  of  George 
III.  These  two  pictures  were  painted 
previous  to  the  Coronation  of  George 
III  and  his  Consort.  "They  became 
the  ambassadorial  type  and  were  copied 
for  all  Foreign  Courts  and  Represen- 
tatives of  Sovereigns," 

29.  The  Hon'ble  Mr.  John  Adam.     Acting  By  Sir  Thomas  Latirence. 

Governor  of  Fort  William,  1823.  The 
artist  never  saw  his  subject  in  the  flesh, 
but  the  picture  is  one  of  the  finest 
works  of  art  in  the  collection. 

30.  Marquess    of    Hastings — born     1754,  By  J.  Hayes, 

died  1826.  Full  length,  standing  bare- 
headed, wearing  the  Ribbon  and  Star  of 
the  Garter  and  Badge  of  the  Bath. 

31.  Eael    of   Amherst — born     1773,    died  Copied  by  Geo.  F.  Clarke  after 

1857.     Full  length,    life   size,   standing     Sir  Thomas  Lawrenre. 
bareheaded.     Backgi'ound    shows  what 
is  conjectured  to  be  a    view    of  Hong 
Kong. 
32.*  Marquess  of    Weklesley — born    1760,  Possibly  hy  Robert  Howe. 
died    1842.     Governor-CJeneral   of  Fort 
William,    Mav    18,    1798    to    Julv  31, 
1805. 

Full  length,  standing.  Red  coat  with  black  collar  and  cuffs.  Across 
shoulder  Ribbon  of  St.  Patrick.  In  background  view  of  a  Church — St. 
John's,  Calcutta? 

SOUTH-EAST  STAIRCASE. 

33.     The  Duke  of  Wellington — born  1769,  By  Robert  Home. 
died     1852.      Full    length,     barehead- 
ed.    Right  hand  concealed  inside   coat. 
Star  of  Bath  on    left  breast.     Painted 
in  1804  on  twilled  canvas. 


•  Transferred  to  the  Victoria  Memorial  Hall  Collection.     In  its  place  hans» 
a  portrait  of  Kinj?  Edward  VII  by  Luke  Fildes,  K.  W. 


LIST   OF    PORTRAITS.  53 

34.  Mohammad    Ali,    Nawab  of  the   (Jab-  By  S.  WMitum. 

NATIC,  1754 — 1795.  [Nawab  Wala 
•lah  of  Arcot.] 

[At  the  dooi- of  the  Throne   Koom.  ] 

35.  H.  R.  H.  THE  Duke  of  Clarence    and  By  A.  Swovel. 

AvoNDALE,     K.  G born    1864.   died 

1892.  (A  copy  of  one  painted  for  pre- 
sentation to  the  present  Prince  of 
Wales  on  his  marriage  in  1894.) 

36.  Lady  William   Bentinck.     Full  length,  %  F.     R.    Saif. 

standing  :  dressed  in  Avliite  and  with 
white  turban  :  short  waist.  Open 
landscape.     Painted  in  1838. 

37.  Shee  Ali  Khan.     Amir  of    Kabul — 1863   Unknown. 

to  1879. 

.38.     .Jung  Bahadur  OF  \epal.     IHiS—lSn.  Bi/ F.  Brigsl^icke. 
Painted     in    1853.     Exhibited    in    the 
Royal  Academy  in  1868. 

39.     .IaSwant  Singh.     Maharajah  of  Bharat.   Unknown. 
pur— 18.53  to  1893. 

40.*  The  Departure  op  the   Two  .Sons   of  Unknown. 
Tippu  Sahib  fbom  their  Father. 
An  exceedingly    interesting    picture    of   an    event    which  took  place    on 
February  25,   1792.     The  two  lads  were  received  at  the  British  Camp  near 
Seringapatam  on   the  following  day. 

41.  Nizam  op  Hyderabad.     Full  length  por- 

trait of  a  child  in  a  green  dress. 

42.  Earl     of     Beaconsfield — born      1804,  By  K.  X.  Dou-nard. 

died   1881.     .A.n     unpleasing    portrait. 

43.  Fateh  Ali,  Sh.ah  of  Persia,  1798 — 1834.  Bi/  Meher  An. 

Painted  in  1798. 

44.  Mohendar  Singh.     Maharajali   of  Pati-  Unknown. 

ala,  1862—1872. 

45.  Saadat   Ali   Khan.     NawaJi     of   Oudii.   Proha'di;  b)/  R.  Home.. 

1798—1814. 

46.  Louis  XV.     Born    1710.     Reigned   1715  Hi/ Curb    Van  Loo. 

—1774. 
47      .Marie  Leczinska,  wife  of  above.  ..   Hi)  Carle  Van  Loo. 

The  official  catalogue  says  "It  is  said  that  this  and  the  preceding  picture 
were  captured  at  sea  in  a  vessel  bound  to  Mauritius.  An  e.xactly  similar 
picture  to  this  is  in  the  Louvre  painted  in  1 747,  and  signed  on  the  thicknes.s 
of  the  table  "Carle  Van  Loo',  when  the  Queen  w.is  44  years  of  age."  Stavori- 
nufl,  however,  writes  in  1770,  •over  the  Court  House  arj  two  handsome 
Assembly  rooms.  Id  one  of  these  are  hung  up  the  portraits  of  the  King  of 
France  and  the  late  Queen  as  large  as  life,  which  were  brought  by  the 
English  from  Chandernagore  when  they  took  that  place."  The  present 
writer  is  informed  by  H.  E.  Lord  Curzon,  that  the  pictures,  Nos.  40  to 
44,  were  captured  by  Admiral  Watson  at  the  famous  siege  of  Chander- 
nagore in  17.07. 

*  Tranflferred  to  the  Victoria  Memorial  Hall  Collection. 


54  (iUIDE    TO    CALCUTTA. 

CORRTDOK,  S.-E.    WINO. 
Second  Floor. 

1 48.     Prince      Muhammad      Eiroz     Shah.    Unknoim. 

Eldest  son    of    H.    H.   Piiiuc    Ghulam 

Muhammad,  K.  C.  S.  1..  and    Grandson 

of  Tippu  Sultan, 
t  49.     Peince    Ghulam    Muhammad.     Died   Unknnirti. 

1872.     Son  of  Tippu  Sultan. 
t  50.     Yasin    Sahib.       ]<"ifth    son    of   Tippu  By  T.   Hirkey. 

Sultan, 
t  51.     Maiz-ud-Din.       'i'liird    son    of    'I'ippu   By  T.  Hirhy. 

Sultan. 
t  52.     Bhutan  and  Sikim  Chief.  ...   Unknown-  ' 

t  53.     Sultan  Muhiud  Din.     The  only    legi-   Unknown. 

tiniate  son  of  Tippu  Sultan. 

NORTH  BALL  ROOM. 

Second  Floor. 

64.*  Her  Ma.iesty  the    late    Queen-Em-  Sir  Oeori/i'  ffaylrr. 
PRESS.     Painted  in  1862. 

CORRIDOR,    X.-\V.  WING. 

55.  The  Taj  Mahal  at  Aora  ...   By  Hodge.-. 

56.  C'EYX    and  Alcyone.     A     copy    of'FR- 

Wilson's  picture  ongiaved  by  Woollett. 

57.  Landscape.  By      Suwarendra      Chnndra 

Deb  Biirmrin,  Baralh'kvr  of 
Ti'pjiernli.    I8S7. 

NORTH  ROOM,  N.-W.  WING. 

First  Floor. 

58.  Mahara.tah  Btr  Chandra  Deb  of  Hii.i,  By  S.  C.  D(b  Bnrmnn. 

TiPPERAH. 

59.  Mttshkti,  Asan.    a  Muhammadan  beggar  By  A.  E.  Cnddy. 

CORRIDOR,  S.-W.  WING. 

Firfl  Floor. 

t  60.     Abdul  Khalik.    Second  son  of  Tippu  By  T.  Ilirkry. 
Sultan,    and  the    elder    of    the    two 
boys  in  No.  40. 

t  61.     Ghulam    Ali    Khan.     A    hi«.'h  offni-d  By  T.  fiirk(ii. 
of  Tippu  Sultan. 

t   62.     Shaikh    Husein.     The    benefactor  of  By  T.  Hickev. 
the    British    officers    and   men    im- 
prisoned by  Tippu  Sultan. 

*  Brought  from  Bnrrackpore  House. 

t  Transferred  to  t)ie  Victoria  Memorial  Hall  Collection. 


\ 


LIST    OF    PORTRAITS.  55 

t  63.     Ghulam  Ah  Khas,  Vizikb  ...  By  T.  Hickey. 

+  64.     Bude-ul-Zaman     Khan.       Held     the  By  T.  Hickey. 

Fort  at  Darwar  against  a  combined 

force    of      English    and     Mahrattas 

from   September,  1790,  to  its  ca)>itu- 

lation  in  March,  1791. 
t  65.     Fateh   Haidar.     Eldest  son  of  Tippu  By  7'.    Hickey. 

Sultan, 
t  66.     Shckb-Ullab.  Seventh  son  of  Tippu  By  T.  Hirkey. 

Sultan. 
t  67.     Ali  Raj   Khan  ...   By  T.  Hickey. 

t  68.     Nandaroy.       Maternal    Cirand-father  By  T,  Hickiy. 

of    Krishna    Raja    Wadia  of  Mysore. 
t  69.     Raza     Khan.      A    constant     attend-  By  T.  fUckey. 

ant  of  Tippu    Sultan,    who  fell   with 

him  in  tiie  gateway  of  Seringapatam. 
t  70.     StJBHAN    Sahib.     Sixth  son  of    Tippu   By  T.  Hickey. 

Sultan, 
t  71.     Krishna    Raja     Wadia.     Raja     of  By  T.  Hickey. 

MY.SORE,  1799—1831.     After  the  fall 

of  Tippu  Sultan,  the  Mysore  dynasty 

was   restored  in   the    person  of   this 

Prince,  tiien  ;i  child  of  three  years, 
t  72.     Firaz  SuT  ...  By  T.  Hickei; 

SOUTH-EAST  WING. 

First  Floor. 

73.  AYo0ngC'hikf  ...  By  T.  Hickey. 

74.  Landscape  ...   Unknown. 

75.  Coast  Scene — Moonlight  ...   Unknonn. 

76.  Akbar    Shah.      Emperor    of  Delhi,   Unknown. 

1806—18.37.  Formerly  in  the  Garden 
Reach  House  of  the  Kina  of  Oude. 

77.  Landscape  ...   Unknoim. 

78.  Landscape  ...   By  A.  W.  Devis  ?. 

79.  Oriental  Dressed  in  white. 

80.  A  River  Scene. 

81.  Do. 

82.*  Investiture   at   Calcutta    on  .Jan.  1.  By  S.  F.  Halt. 
1876,   OF   H.  H.  the    JIaharaja   of 
Jodhpur. 

The  present  King,  then  Prince  of  Wales,  is  seated  on  a  dais  in  the  robes  of 
the  Order  of  the  Star  of  India.  Behind  him,  Major-General  Sir  D.  Probyn, 
C.  B.,  V.  C'.,  holds  the  royal  ensign.  The  other  principal  6gures.  besides  th» 
Maharaja,  are  Col.  Earle,  Major  Baring,  Lieutenant  the  Hon.  F.  Baring,  Lord 
Northbrook  (Viceroy),  the  Maharaja  of  Kashmir,  the  Maharaja  of  .leypore.  Sir 
H.B.  Bartle  Frere,  Mr.  C.  U.  Aitchison,  the  Maharaja  of  Gwalior.  Lord  Napi«r 


•   Brought  from  Barrackpore  House. 

t  Transferred  to  the  Victoria  Memorial  Hull  Collection 


r)6  GUIDE   TO   CALCUTTA. 

of  Magdala,  Sir  Salar  Jung,  the  Maharaja  of  Indore,  the  Mahinaja  of  Rewa, 
8urgeon-General  Fayrer,  and  thp  Maharaja  of  Travancore. 

83.  Landscape. 

84.  Naval  Engagement    between  British 

AND  Spanish  men-of-war. 

85.  J^andsoape. 

86.  Marine  View, 

GREEN   DRAWING   ROOM. 

87.  H.  M.  THE  LATE  Quken-Empress  ...  By  Von  Angrli. 

DINING  ROOM. 

Ground  Floor. 

88.  Maharaja  Bir  Chandra  Deb  Burman  By  himsrff. 

OF  Hill  Tipperah. 

89.  A  Doctor's  Visit  TO  an   aged  patient  Unknown. 

S.-W.  END  OF  BALL  ROOM. 
1)0.     H.    K.    Pertab    Singh,    Mahara.ja    of  Unknown. 
Jammu  and  Kashmir, 

STKWAKD'S  ROOM. 

Ground  Floor. 
91.     Ldchmee  Dass  Seth  of  Muttra  ...    Unknown. 

Leaving  Government  House  by  the  E.  gate,  we  find  our- 
selves in  Old  Court  House  Street — or  rather  the  continua- 
tion of  Old  Court  House  Street,  now  a  part  of  Government 
Place.  Turning  to  our  left  up  this  street,  we  soon  come 
to  the  Esplanade  East — remarkable  for  the  fine  buildings 
of  the  Foreign  Office  and  the  Military  Department 
designed  by  Mr.  W.  Banks  Gwyther,  of  the  P.  W.  D. 
For  the  present,  however,  we  will  drive  down  the  road 
on  the  E.  side  of  the  Government  House.  On  our  left 
we  shall  notice  a  triangular  piece  of  grass-covered  ground 
known  as  the  "cocked  hat."  Here  stands  the  bronze 
equestrian  statue  of  the  Viceroy  whose  clemency  after 
the  Mutiny  of  1857  atones  for  many  of  his  errors  in 
-statesmanship.  The  statue  is  the  work  of  J.  H.  Foley 
and  T.  Brock.     The  inscription  runs  : — 

Charles  John,  Eari  of    Canning,  K.G.,  O.S.I.,  Govenioi-Gencral  and  first 
Viceroy  of  India,  1856—62.  Born  14th  December,  1802.    Died  17th  June  1862. 

Bearing  to  the  ris^ht,  we  find  Woolmer's  bronze  statue  of 
I^rd  Lawrence,  Viceroy,  1864 — 1869.  The  statue  does 
justice   to  the   memory  of   a  Governor-General  who,  to  the 


"JAN    LARBNS."  57 

horror  of  his  A.-D.-Cs.,  loved  on  "  the  Sawbath  "  to  tuck 
his  Bible  under  his  arm,  and  unaccompanied  by  pomp  and 
circumstance  stroll  across  to  St.  John's.  An  equestrian 
.statue  would  have  belied  Lawrence's  reputation. 

In  Calcutta  few  Europeans  allow  themselves  to  walk  on  foot.  But  in  the 
t'ortnight  which  passed  before  the  purchase  of  Lord  Elgin's  stud,  the  new 
Viceroy  astonished  the  inhabitants  by  showing  himself  on  foot  at  times  and 
places  where  he  would  be  lea.«t  expected.  'He  walked,'  says  hi«  private  secre- 
tary, "to  the  Eden  Gardens  in  the  gloom  of  these  January  evenings,  and,  like 
the  Sultan  in  the  Arabian  Xights,  heard  with  amusement  or  with  interest 
remarks  about  himself  as  he  mingled  with  the  crowd.  He  walked  to  the 
Scotch  Church  or  St.  John's  on  the  Sunday  morning,  throwing  down  his  great 
white  umbrella  in  the  porch,  and  striding  in,  to  the  dismay  of  the  officials,  who 
were  expecting  him  to  arrive  in  full  Viceregal  state  at  the  grand  entrance. 
He  walked  across  the  Maidan  at  five  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  on  one  occa- 
sion, when  confronted  with  a  bison  or  buffalo  which  had  escaped  from  the 
Agricultural  Exhibition  then  being  held  at  Calcutta,  he  amused  his  staff  by 
telling  them  'not  to  run,'  although  his  own  pace  wa.s  being  rapidly  accelerated 
and  escape  from  the  huge  animal,  as  he  bore  down  upon  them,  seemed  some- 
what problematical.  He  walked  to  the  Baz-iar  when  notice  of  a  fire  reached 
liim,  and  he  spent  much  time  during  this,  his  first  fortnight  in  the  City  of 
Palaces,  in  examining  the  different  sit«s  for  a  Siiilors'  Honif ,  the  first  public 
work  he  took  up,  and  one  to  which  he  devoted  himself  very  assiduously,  laying 
the  foundation-stone  with  his  own  hand,  and  heading  the  subscription  list 
with  a  large  donation.  Tt  was  on  his  return  from  one  of  these  ped'^strian 
excursions,  late  in  the  evening,  tliat  lie  met  with  a.  person.al  repulse  whirh  wii.s 
duly  published  in  the  newspapers  on  the  following  morning,  and  afforded 
much  amusement  to  tlie  Calcutta  community.  The  south  entrance  to  the 
Viceregal  Palace  is  considered  sacred  to  the  Governor-General,  and  ingress 
after  dark  is  only  allowed  to  those  to  whom  he  gives  special  permission.  Just 
as  Sir  John  had  passed  through  this  portal  he  was  challenged  by  the  sentry 
with  a  smart  Hoo  cum  dar'?  (Wlio  comes  there?)  Not  stopping  to  reply. 
Sir  John  pushed  on.  when  his  further  progress  was  eft'ectually  barred  by  the 
sepoy,  who  brought  his  weapon  with  fixed  bayonet  down  to  the  charge.  The 
members  of  the  staff,  who  were  convulsed  witli  laugliter,  in  vain  assured  the 
sentry  that  it  was  the  Governor-General.  He  had  never  heard  of.  much  less 
seen,  the  'great  Padishah',  or  Lord  Sahib  Bahadur,  walking  on  his  own  feet: 
and  when  he  was  told  that  tliis  was  .Jan  Larens'  of  the  Punjab,  he  collapsed 
with  fear,  and  was  onlv  too  glad  to  see  him  pass  on,  unruffled,  into  the  house. ' ' 
K.  Bosworth  Smith,   'life  of  Lorrf  Lawrence,  Vol.  TI.  pp.  liflO— 400. 

To  the  S.-E.  of  the  La-v\'reiice  Statue  is  Frampton's 
bronze  statue  of  the  late  Queen -Empress — a  disappoint- 
ing work  from  the  hands  of  so  great  an  artist.  It  has, 
however,  to  be  remembered  that  the  monument  is  intend- 
ed for  the  great  stairway  of  the  future  Victoria  Memorial 
Hall,  and  that  in  its  present  position  it  is  seen  to  great 
disadvantage. 

On  another  triangular  piece  of  Maidan  is  Foley's  eques- 
trian .statue  of  Lord  Hardinge,  Governor-General.  1844 — 
1848. 


")8  GTIDE    TO    CALCUTTA. 

Turning  back,  we  will  now  drive  down  the  Red  Road. 
On  our  right  we  shall  find  an  equestrian  statue  of  Lord 
Roberts  and  on  our  left  one  of  Lord  Lansdowne  (Viceroy, 
1888-1894).  At  the  end  of  the  road  is  the  bronze  statue 
of  Lord  Dufterin  (Viceroy,  1884-1888).  Turning  back  to 
Calcutta  by  the  Dufferin  Road  on  our  left,  we  soon  find  a 
bronze  equestrian  statue  of  Lord  Mayo,  the  Viceroy  who 
was  assassinated  (Feb.  18,  1872)  on  the  occasion  of  his 
visit  to  the  convict  settlement  in  the  Andamans.  The  un- 
veiling of  his  statue  in  December  31,  1875,  was  one  of 
our  present  King's  public  acts  on  the  occasion  of  his 
memorable  visit  to  India. 

In  the  plot  of  ground  before  the  High  Court  is  the  full 
length  statue  of  Lord  Northbrook  (Viceroy,  1872-1876) 
and  beyond  is  that  of  Lord  Auckland,  Governor- 
General,  1836-1842)  looking  towards  the  gardens  which  bear 
his  family  name.  Facing  the  Town  Hall  is  the  bronze 
statue  of  Lord  William  Bentinck  (Governor-General,  1828- 
1834),  on  the  pediment  of  which  is  an  inscription  by  the 
pen  of  Lord  Macaulay.  Further  on,  before  the  red  brick 
oflSces  of  the  Accountant-General,  stands  a  somewhat 
forlorn  looking  representation*  of  Sir  Steuart  Bailey, 
Officiating  Lieutenant-Governor  of  Bengal,  1879. 


To  be  removed  to  Dalhousie  Square. 


CHAPTER  V. 
From  Park  St.,  the  Jain  Temples,  and  back  again. 

Wk  start  this  afternoon  at  the  corner  formed  by  Park 
Street  and  Chowriughi.  On  a  plot  of  grass,  to  our  left,  is 
Foley's  statue  of  Sir  James  Outram — the  "Bayard  of 
India" — reining  in  a  furious  charger  with  one  hand 
and  bearing  a  drawn  sword  in  the  other. 

On  our  right  we  pass  the  premises  recently  occupied  by 
the  United  Service  Club,  and  passing  Kyd  Street,  named 
after  twogreat  Eurasians.the  brothers  James  and  Alexander 
Kyd,  we  find  the  present  Club  building  erected  by  Messrs. 
Mackintosh,  Burn  &  Co.,  in  1904-05.  This  vast"  building 
covers  the  site  of  a  house  which  was  at  one  time  the  resi- 
dence of  a  prince  of  Calcutta  merchants.  John  Palmer, 
and  for  some  years  the  dwelling-place  of  the  Commissioner 
of  Police.  Old  newspapers  inform  us  that  the  original 
residence  of  the  Club  was  '"at  the  extremity  of  the 
range  of  four-storied  buildings  upon  the  Esplanade." 

•  'The  Bengal  United  Service  Club  met  for  the  first  time  on  Friday  evening,, 
when  upwards  of  100  gentlemen  sat  down  to  a  sumptuous  dinner,  which  did 
mueli  credit  to  the  culinary  talents  of  Mr.  Payne,  who  is  likely  to  turn  out  » 
most  formidable  rival  to  Messrs.  Gunter  and  Hooper.  The  patron  of  the  Club, 
the  P.ight  Honourable  Lord  Combermere,  honoured  the  meeting  with  his  pre- 
sence. 'Col.  Finch,  President  of  the  Club,  had  Lord  Combermere  on  his  right 
hand  and  Sir  Charles  Grey  on  his  left :  and  Mr.  Trower.  the  Vice-President, 
had  Sir  .Jolin  Franks  on  his  right  and  Sir  Edward  Ryan  en  his  left  hand. 
The  venison  was  most  excellent,  and  the  wines  admiiable  and  well-cooled. 
After  the  removal  of  the  cloth,  various  loyal  toasts  werediunk  as  well  as  many 
of  local  association  and  interest.  A  militaiy  band,  during  tlie  intervals,  enter- 
tained the  company  with  beautiful  and  appropriate  airs.  Afto'  an  evening 
of  the  utmost  hilarity  and  most  agreeable  enjoyment,  the  company  broke  up 
at  a  late  hour,  all  highly  pleased  with  their  entertainment,  and  the  happy 
auspices  and  eclat  of  the  first  meeting  of  the  Bengal  Club."  Ivd.  Onz.,  July 
I6th.     Anatir.  Jour.,  January  182f'. 

After  passing  the  United  Service  Club  we  come  to  a 
long  red  brick  building  erected  for  the  purposes  of  the 
Exhibition    of    1883-1884.    and     now     occupied    by    the 


60  GUIDE   TO    CALCUTTA. 

Oovernment  Art  School.  This  building  is  doomed  to  an 
■early  disappearance.  We  now  come  to  the  Museum  which 
will  require  a  separate  chapter  to  itself. 

The    Ochterlony  Monument. 

We  tind  to  our  left  the  Ochterlony  Memorial 
Column — which  in  ponderous  bulk  attempts  to  atone  for 
the  injustice  done  to  one  of  the  hardest  fighters  and 
soundest  statesmen  the  British  Raj  has  ever  produced. 

David  Ochterlony,  the  great  grandson  of  the  laird  of  Pilforthj',  Angus,  wa;" 
born  at  Boston,  Massachusetts,  on  February  12r,h,  1758.  He  reached  Bengal 
as  a  caAet  in  the  Company's  Army  in  1777.  After  forty-eight  years  of 
noble  and  successful  service  he  died,  broken-hearted,  at  Meerut  on  July  15th, 
1828.  He  served  under  Colonel  Pearsc  in  the  great  struggle  in  the  Carnatic 
[1781-84]  and  was  a  prisoner  of  war  until  Haider's  death  in  1784.  In 
1800  he  commanded  his  regiment,  under  Lord  Lake,  and  was  present  at  the 
capture  of  Sasai.  Bejgarh,  and  Kachoura  in  the  Doab.  After  serving  as  Lord 
Lake's  deputy-adjutant-general  in  tlie  Maharatta  war,  he  took  up  the  ap- 
pointment of  Resident  at  the  Court  of  Shah  Alam,  and  when  Holkar  marched  on 
Delhi,  Ochterlony  covered  himself  witli  glory  by  a  "  brave  and  skilful  defence 
of  an  almost  untenable  position' '  until  the  arrival  of  Lord  Lake's  army  effect- 
ed his  relief.  In  1806,  Ochterlony  kept  guard  against  the  incursion  of  Ranjit 
Singh.  In  the  years  1814.  1815  and  1816  Ochterlony  achieved  his  splendid 
fionquest  of  Nepal.  In  1817,  Ochterlony,  now  a  G.C.B.,  disarmed  the  Pindaris, 
and  in  the  following  year,  succeeding  Sir  C.  T.  Metcalfe  as  Resident  in  Rnj- 
putana,  carried  out  the  pacification  of  Central  India.  He  then  was  appointed 
to  Delhi  with  Jaipur  annexed.  In  1825  Ochterlony  gave  his  support  to  an 
lieir  to  the  Bhurtpore  thione  whozn  the  Governor-General  (Amherst)  subse- 
quently declined  to  uphold.  This  reversal  of  his  policy,  the  veteran  regarded 
as  tantamount  to  a  personal  disgrace  :  he  resigned  the  service  and,  while  his 
resignation  was  under  consideration,  died  heart-broken.  Metcalfe,  who  they 
!<ent  to  Bhurtpore,  found  that  Ochterlony's  policy  was  the  one  which  was 
absolutely  necessary,  and  Lord  Combermere  with  an  army  of  20,000  men  was 
•despatched  to  do  what  it  is  believed  Ochterlony  oould  have  done  unaided 
in  a  fortnight." 

The  Calcutta  and  Agra  Directory  for  1841  gives  an  in- 
teresting account  of  the  erection  of  the  monument  : — 

■ '  The  Committee  who  were  empowered  to  receive  subscriptions  on  account 
of  it,  and  to  superintend  its  construction,  comprising  Sir  C.  Metcalfe,  Sir  J. 
Bryant,  Dr.  .J.  T.  Grant  and  others,  asked  Mr.  C.  K.  Robison,  one  of  the  Magis- 
trates of  Calcutta,  and  whose  name  stands  high  as  a  scientific  amateur  in  civil 
architecture,  to  give  a  design  after  the  Moslem  stjde  of  architecture  to  mark 
the  preference  Sir  David  shewed  always  to  followers  of  the  Prophet.  Mr. 
Robison  gave  what  now  does  such  honour  to  his  taste  and  also  a  dcsfgn  of  a 
'Grecian  column  which  Mr.  Robison  himself  would  have  preferred  seeing  con- 
Htructed.  The  Committee,  however,  and  perhaps  properly,  preferred  the 
Saracenic  one  for  the  reason  before  stated.  The  subscriptions  received  were 
from  all    classes    in    this    Presidency,    civil,    military,  and  mercantile,  and 


THE    3I0NUMENT.  61 

amounted  to  nearly  Rs.  40,000.  A  wealthy  Calcutta  firm  were  treasurers, 
but  the  buildinw  had  proceeded  but  a  little  waj'  when  the  firm  failed,  and 
Rs.  27,000 -were  lost. 

"The  person  who  undertook  to  build  it  was  to  do  so  for  Rs.  33,000  (without 
the  platform  and  rail  round  it)  a  fresh  subscription  was  then  set  on  foot,  and 
Rs.  10,000  were  collected,  and  placed  \nth  another  Calcutta  firm.  A  portion  of 
this  was  lost  also  by  the  failure  of  that  firm,  but  the  public-spirited  contractor, 
Mr.  Parker,  of  this  city,  agreed  to  finish  the  column,  on  receiving  an  assign- 
ment of  the  dividends  from  both  Houses.  We  will  omit  the  words  of  the 
inscription,  lest  any  stranger  should  be  satisfied  with  them  alone,  and  not  go 
and  visit  the  edifice.  The  upper  part  of  the  column  is  taken  from  one  in  Syria ; 
to  this  is  added  a  base  which  is  pure  Egyptian  from  Denan.  The  trouble  of 
the  construction,  generally,  and  the  hoisting  the  large  stones  of  the  galleries 
and  the  Turkish  dome  on  the  top,  particularly,  gave  trouble.  The  view  from 
the  top  which  is  reached  by  a  circular  staircase  is  very  extensive  and  grand, 
extending  to  Barrackpore  (14  miles)  on  the  North,  and  Fort  Gloucester  (23 
miles)  to  the  South.  On  the  west  the  whole  line  of  the  Hughli  is  beautifully 
viewed,  and  in  the  East  in  certain  months  of  the  year  the  Sun  is  seen  to  risV 
on  the  Saltwater  Lake  as  from  molten  gold,  or  silver  as  the  weather 
determines.  In  the  hottest  of  our  sultry  mornings  you  have  a  delightfully 
fanning  breeze  en  the  top  of  the  monument  which  rewards  you  for  the 
trouble  of  the  ascent.  Apropos  of  the  ascent,  we  may  here  mention  that 
the  principle  of  the  construction  of  the  staircase  is  peculiar  and  good  ; 
the  inverse  of  each  step  is  joggled  by  means  of  pieces  of  cast  iron,  laid  in 
white  lead  into  the  end  of  those  above  and  below,  and  the  outer  ends  of 
the  step  are  secured  into  the  brickwork.  The  height  of  the  whole  is  165 
feet." 

North  of  the  Museum  is  Sudder  Street,  where  the  princi- 
pal Methodist  Chapel  of  the  city  is  to  be  found.  We  pass 
the  larger  red  brick  building  occupied  by  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association,  and  come  to  Lindsay  Street  where 
the  New  Market  and  the  Opera  House  are  situated.  The 
Grand  Hotel  and  the  Theatre  Royal  are  passed  on  our  right, 
and  we  then  cross  Corporation  Street  (Jaun  Bazar)  where 
stand  the  extensive  buildings  of  the  Calcutta  Corporation, 
designed  by  Mr.  W.  Banks  Gwyther. 

Dharamtollah  quaintly  affords  a  reminiscence  of  Bud- 
dhist India.  The  name  has  been  erroneously  derived  from 
a  ''great  mosque."  which,  Long  tells  us,  once  stood  where 
Cook  k  Co. 's  stables  are  now  to  be  found,  and  which  "  by 
its  local  sanctity  gave  the  name  to  the  street  of  the  Dhar- 
matala  or  Holy  Street.  "  Dr.  Hcernle,  a  far  superior 
authority,  however,  has  pointed  out  that  Dharma  is 
one  of  the  well-known  units  of  the  Buddhist  Trinity,  and 
that  the  followers  of  Dharma,  who  still  have  a  temple  in 
Jaun  Bazar  Street,  must  have  named  the  street  by  the 
ctbject  of   their  devotion.     In  days  long  gone    by,  when 


<J2  GUIDE    TO    CALCUTTA. 

"the  Salt  Lakes  extended  far  southward,  the  creek  which 
flowed  where  Hastings  Street  now  is,  turned  to  the  south 
and  followed  the  course  of  Dharamtollah  to  meet  the  lakes. 
To  this  Creek  Row  is  a  still  existing  witness.  The  street 
now  possesses  a  much- frequented  Roman  Catholic  Church 
of  the  Sacred  Heart  (erected  by  Mrs.  Pascoa  Baretto 
DeSouza  in  1832),  the  Union  (Congregationalist)  Chapel 
(erected  by  the  London  Missionary  Society  in  1821),  and 
"the  Chapel  of  the  American  Episcopal  Methodists.  The 
mosque  at  the  corner  of  Dharamtollah  and  Bentinck  Street 
is  of  some  architectural  beauty,  and  it  is  a  thousand 
pities  that  it  should  be  blocked  up  by  a  squalid  row  of 
mean  native  shops  on  its  western  side.  An  inscription 
records  that  : 

"Thits  Miisjid  was  erected  during  the  Government  of  Lord  Auckland, 
G.C.B,,  by  Prince  Golan>  Mahomed,  son  of  the  late  Tippoo  Sultan,  in 
g:ratitude  to  God  ;  and  in  commemoration  of  the  Honourable  Court  of 
Directors  granting  him  arrears  of  his  stipend  in  1840." 

Bentinck  Street  is  to-day  a  dangerously  narrow  and  over- 
crowded thoroughfare,  lined  mainly  by  taverns,  cigar 
divans,  and  the  shops  of  Chinese  shoe-makers.  It  will  be 
observed,  however,  that  the  older  houses  on  the  right 
hand  stand  well  back  from  the  road,  and  that  the  nar- 
rowing of  the  street,  once  known  as  the  Broad  Street,  is 
mainly  due  to  the  shops  and  godowns  intruded  in  front 
of  the  old  houses.  To  gharri  wallas  Bentinck  Street  is 
still  known  as  Cossitollah. 

'  'Cosaitola,  leading  from  Dhurrumtala  into  Old  Calcutta,  was  named  after 
the  kasai  or  butchers,  dealers  in  goats'  and  cows'  flesh,  who  formerly  occupied 
it  as  their  f|uarter.  It  must,  therefore,  have  been  formerly  a  hateful  street 
for  Hindus  to  pass  on  their  way  from  Chitpur  to  Kalighat,  as  seventy  yeaiB 
ago  Hindus  would  not  sell  an  ox  when  they  knew  that  it  was  designed  for 
slaughter. .  .  .In  1754  Cossitola  was  a  mass  of  jungle,  and  even  as  late  as  1780 
it  was  almost  impassable  from  mud  in  the  rains.     In  Apjohn's  map  only  two 

or  three  houses  are  marked  in  it In  1788,  a  Mr.  Mackinnon  advertises  a 

school  to  be  opened  to  contain  140  pupils."  Long.  Calcutta  Review,  Vol. 
XVIIL  p.  291. 

No.  55,  Bentinck  Street,  will  be  memorable  to  many  of 
our  readers  as  the  local  home  of  Freemasonry  in  Calcutta 
ior  nearly  44  years. 

Grant's  Lane  is  so-called  after  the  Bengal  Civilian 
Charles  Grant  who  played  so  famous  a  part  in  the  early 


THE    NATIVE    QUARTER.  6'fi 

history  of  Christian  Missions  in  this  land,  and  who 
purchased  Kiernander's  Church  when  its  founder  became 
bankrupt.  Here  in  the  first  house  on  the  right  hand 
side,  at  the  beginning  of  Grant's  Lane,  was  born  the 
future  Lord  Gleuelg. 

Crossing  Lall  Bazar  Street  and  passing  the  office  of  the 
Commissioner  of  Police,  we  pass  between  the  site  of 
C.  Weston's  towni  house  and  the  Tiretta  Bazar.  In 
Ezra  Street  is  to  be  found  the  Parsi  Agiaree  or  Fire 
Temple,  erected  by  Rustomjee  Cowasjee  Banajee  in  the 
year  1839.  The  Rustomjee  family  was  one  of  the  many 
which  suffered  by  the  failure  of  the  Union  Bank. 
A  turning  to  the  right  and  then  to  the  left  would  bring 
us  to  the  Chinese  temple- 

We  now  cross  between  Canning  Street  and  Coloo- 
tola  Street,  a  locality  named  the  Fouzdari  Balakhana — 
commemorating  the  Calcutta  Court  of  Fouzdar  of  Hughli 
in  the  days  when  the  agents  of  the  Nawab  of  Mursheda- 
bad  were  a  power  the  English  had  to  take  cognisance  of. 
In  Canning  Street  we  find  the  principal  Synagogue.  Pro- 
■ceeding  on  our  way,  we  pass  between  Cotton  Street  and 
Machua  Bazar  Street.  Burra  Bazar  is  to  our  left  and  Chore- 
bagan  to  our  right.  Thp  latter  name  carries  us  back  to  the 
■days  when  the  dense  jungle  afforded  a  hiding  place  for 
dakaits-  Some  distance  down  Machua  Bazar  Street  may  be 
found  (on  the  left  hand  side)  Keshub  Chunder  Sen's  meeting 
house  of  theBrahmo  Somaj.  Readers  of  Max  Miiller's  works 
will  perhaps  wish  to  satisfy  themselves  by  inspecting  this 
building,  although  there  is  but  little  which  is  noteworthy 
About  it.  In  Chorebagan  is  the  Raja  Rajendra  MuUick's 
palace.  Further  north  we  come  to  Jorasanko — so  named 
from  two  cuivt^rts  which  once  crossed  a  small  stream  in 
this  locality.  Two  noteworthy  residences  of  native  lead- 
ers are  to  be  found  here  —  the  house  of  the  late  Dwarka 
Nath  Tagore,  and  the  house  of  Raja  Sreekisseu  Mullick. 
As  we  reach  Beadon  Square,  we  have  on  our  left  Jorabagan, 
Said  to  commemorate  the  road  which  led  to  the  pair  of 
gardens  once  owned  by  Omichand  and  Govindaram  at 
Ultadinghi  (place  of  upset  boats).  In  Nimtolla  Street  we 
find  the  Government  Normal  School  for  boys,  and  the 
•Free  Church  Institute. 


64  GUIDE   TO    CALCUTTA. 

Passing  Sobha  (the  Mohammadan  Government  or 
Subur)  Bazar,  we  find  on  our  right  and  proceed  up  Raja 
Nabakissen's  Street,  constructed  by  that  famous  Calcutta 
worthy,  the  Munshi  of  Clive  and  the  Company's  Banyan. 

We  must  now  direct  our  driver  to  turn  up  Sham  Bazar 
Street,  and  then  turn  to  the  right  down  the  Upper  Cir- 
cular Road  to  the  Halsi  Bagan.  We  shall  find  on  our 
left  a  stone  pillar  directing  us  to  the 

Jain  Temples. 

Jainism,  writes  Dr.  Hoernle,  "is  the  only  one  of  the 
almost  primteval  monastic  orders  of  India  which  has 
survived  down  to  the  present  day,  although  until  quite 
recent  ye«,rs  its  very  existence  before  the  middle  ages  was 
denied  by  the  learned  world.  " 

■"Neither  Buddhism  nor  Jaiiii-sm  are  religious  in  the  strict  sense  of  th;i,t 
word.  They  are  rather  monastic  organizations.  The  old  Brahmanio  religion 
ordained  man's  life  to  be  spent  in  four  consecutive  stages,  called  Acramas. 
A  man  was  to  commence  life  a  religious  student,  then  proceed  to  be  a'  house- 
holder, next  to  go  into  retirement  as  an  anchorite,  and  finall}'  to  spend 
the  declining  years  of  his  life  as  a  wandering  San3'asin  or  mendicant.  These 
Sanyasins  or  Brahmanic  mendicants  form  theprototype  of  the  great  monastic 
orders  that  arose  in  the  sixth  century,  B.C.,  the  only  difference  apparently 
being  that  the  Brahmanic  niendicants  never  formed  themselves  into  such 
large  organisations  as  the  Buddhists  and  Jains."  A.  F.  R.  Hoernle,  C.  I.  E. 
Annual  Addres'i  to  the  Bengal  Asiatic  Society,  1888. 

It  is  a  still  popular  error  that  Buddhism  and  Jainism  ori- 
ginated in  a  revolt  against  the  Brahmanic  caste  :  but  the 
formation  of  the  non- Brahmanic  monastic  orders  must 
have  been  promoted  by  the  tendency  of  Brahmins  to  con- 
fine the  mendicant  stage  of  religious  perfection  to  mem- 
bers of  their  own  caste.  On  becoming  a  Jain  caste  is  not 
renounced,  and,  in  the  old  times  the  Jain  layman,  while 
choosing  a  Jain  monk  as  his  spiritual  director,  would 
have  repaired  to  a  Brahmin  priest  for  the  performance  of 
religious  ceremonies. 

The  founder  of  Jainism  was  Vardhaniana,  the  son  of  Siddhartha,  the  head 
of  a  Kshatriya  class  called  the  Natas  or  Nayas  who  had  settled  at  Kollaja,  one 
of  the  three  remaining  portions  of  the  ouce  powerful  city  of  Vesali.  The  reader 
who  is  making  no  long  stay  in  India  will  probably  be  unaware  of  the  fact 
that  the  Kshatriyas  were  the  noble  caste  who  claimed  descent  from  the 
leaders  of  the  Aryan  invaders,  but  even  the  average  Anglo-Indian  does  not 
realise  that  in  the  olden  time  the  Brahmans  (i.  e.,  the  priestly  clas» 
claiming  descent  from  the  families    of    Rishrus   who    composed   the   Vedic 


THE    JAIN    TEMPLE.  65 

hymns,)  had  developed  no  claim  to  precedence  as  a  caste.  "When," 
writes  Sir  W.  Hunter,  "  the  Brahmans  put  forward  their  claim  to  the  high- 
est rank,  the  warriors  or  Kshatriyas  were  slow  to  admit  it ;  and  when  the 
Brahmans  went  a  step  further,  and  declared  that  only  members  of  their 
families  could  be  priests,  or  gain  admission  into  the  priestly  caste,  the 
warriors  disputed  their  pretensions.  In  later  ages,  the  Brahmans  having  the 
exclusive  keeping  of  the  sacred  writings  effaced  froai  them,  as  far  as  possible, 
all  traces  of  the  struggle. ' '  The  term  "  caste' '  is  derived  from  a  Portuguese 
word  and  is  only  misleading  when  applied  to  conditions  of  life  in  India  in 
the  days  when  Buddha  preached  the  doctrine  of  the  threefold  noble  path. 

Vardhamana  or  Mahavira  was  born  about  59ft  and  died  about  527  B.  C. 
Buddha,  his  greater  rival,  lived  between  557  and  477  B.  C.  Both  were  sons 
of  petty  princes,  and  both  commenced  their  mission  amid  the  Kshatriyas,  and 
both  laboured  within  very  much  the  same  geographical  area.  At  the  age  of 
thirty  Mahavira  became  a  monk,  but  as  he  had  adopted  absolute  nudity 
as  an  essential  practice  in  the  saving  faith,  he  parted  from  the  monastic  homo 
of  his  clan,  and  wandered  through  North  and  South  Bihar.  After  many 
years  of  preaching,  he  was  at  length  acknowledged  as  Mahavira  the 
"Great  Hero"  and  Jina  "the  spiritual  conqueror."  Hence  the  nan<.« 
•Tain.  In  company  with  the  Buddhists,  the  Jains  reject  the  Vedas  of 
Brahminism.  It  is  their  beUef  that  by  unremitting  discipline  holy 
men  can  be  perfected,  as  was  their  founder,  into  Jinas  or  spiritual  conquerors. 
Time,  for  them,  proceeds  from  two  eternally  recurring  cycles  of  immeasur- 
able duration — an  "ascending"  and  a  "descending"  cycle,  each  being 
broken  up  into  six  stages  of  bad-bad,  bad,  bad-good,  good-bad,  good, 
good-good.  At  present  (or  at  least  until  quite  recently),  we  are  in  the  bad 
stage,  although  even  in  this  stage  twenty-four  Jinas  have  been  deified.  The 
world  is  formed  of  eternal  atoms,  and  includes  various  hells  and  heavens. 
The  principal  ethical  maxims  are  :  1.  Do  not  kill  or  injure.  2.  Do  not 
tell  lies.  3.  Steal  not.  4.  Be  chaste  and  temperate.  5.  Desire 
nothing  immoderately.  The  Buddhists,  as  keen  missionaries,  prize  ''  three 
jewels" — the  Buddha,  the  Law,  and  the  Order:  the  Jains,  more  contem- 
plative and  inert,  seek  likewise  three  jewel* — right  faith,  right  cogni- 
tion, right  conduct.  The  Jain  layman  participates  in  the  spiritual 
benefits  emanating  from  the  monastic  order  :  the  Buddhist  layman  is 
not  in  communion  with  the  monastic  body,  and  in  fact  may  also  attach 
lumself  to  other  organisations  without  losing  what  the  Buddhist  order  has 
to  ofiEer.  It  is  not  hard  to  see  that  here  we  have  one  of  the  causes 
of  the  survival  of  Jainism  and  the  disappearance  of  Buddhism  in  the 
motherland  of  the  two  systems.  When  the  Mohammedan  conquest 
burst  over  India,  the  Buddhist  monasteries,  already  thinned  out  under  Brah- 
manic  pressure,  disappeared,  and  the  monks  once  gone,  lay-Buddhism  remained 
very  much  as  in  Alice  in  Wonderland  the  Cheshire  cat's  smile  remained 
after  the  departure  of  the  Cheshire  cat.  An  account  of  "  caricatured 
survivals  of  Buddhism  in  Bengal"  by  the  learned  Pandit  Hara  Prasad  Shastri 
will  be  found  in  the  Journal  of  the  Asiatic  Society  of  Beiigal  for  1895. 

It  only  remains  to  be  said  on  the  score  of  Jainism  in  the  abstract,  that  the 
founder's  practice  of  absolute  nudity,  which  about  82  A.  D.,  led  to  a  great 
schism  between  the  "  white  clothed"  and  the  ''  shyad"  or  unclothed  monks, 
and  is  now  honoured  in  the  breach  rather  than  the  observance  thereof.  The 
two  sects  of  Jains  exist,  but  their  differences  chiefly  concern  the  clothing  or 
absence  of  clothing  on  images,  the  number  of  heavens,  etc. 

The  Jain  Temple  of  Rai  Buddree  Dass  Bahadoor. 
No  visit  to    Calcutta    is    considered    complete    without 
seeing  the  Jain  Temple  at  Manicktola,  founded  in  1867  by 

F,   GC  5 


&6  GUIDE   TO   CALCUTTA. 

Rai  Buddree  Dass  Bahadoor,  Mookirn  and  Court  Jeweller 
CO  the  Government  of  India,  and  the  pride  and  ornament 
of  the  Jain  community.  The  Calcutta  Jains  are  mostly 
traders  ;  and  the  wealth  of  their  community  gives  them  a 
social  importance  greater  than  would  result  from  their 
mere  numbers.  Like  the  magnificent  series  of  temples 
and  shrines  on  Mount  Abu,  the  Manicktola  Temple  is  one 
of  the  many  striking  outward  signs  of  the  wealth  and 
importance  of  the  community.  The  Temple  is  dedicated 
to  Sitalnathjee,  the  tenth  of  the  twenty-four  Jain  Tri- 
thankars  or  prophets. 

From  Rai  Buddree  Dass  Bahadoor's  Temple  Street 
the  traveller  enters  the  Temple  by  a  magnificent  porch. 
Inside  the  grounds  the  scene  is  fairy-like.  At  one  end 
stands  the  Temple,  the  great  centre  of  attraction.  It 
is  built  in  the  Jain  style  of  Northern  India.  The 
principal  part  of  the  Temple  is  reached  by  a  flight  of 
wide  marble  steps.  The  landing  is  canopied  by  a  triple- 
arched  light  roof  of  variegated  glass  of  great  artistic 
design.  The  Temple  is  flanked  on  three  sides  by  a  beauti- 
ful verandah.  The  walls  are  decorated  on  the  outside 
with  mosaic  and  other  ornamental  work.  The  Sanctuary 
is  in  three  sections,  in  the  innermost  of  which  is  placed 
the  sacred  image  of  the  Trithankara.  The  outer  sections 
of  the  Sanctuary  are  exquisitely  ornamented  from  the 
floor  to  the  ceiling.  They  are  paved  with  marble  and 
decorated  in  the  centre  with  beautiful  mosaic  work.  The 
ceiling.s  and  columns  are  all  richly  ornamented  and  gilded. 
The  walls  of  the  Sanctuary  and  its  two  aisles  are  tessela- 
ted  and  decorated  with  mosaic  in  pietroduro  and  with 
glass  and  stone  work  of  a  special  kind.  In  the  middle 
section  of  the  Sanctuary  there  is  a  magnificent  chandelier 
with  ovei-  a  hundred  V)ranches.  The  whole  interior  of  the 
Temple  is  magnificently  ornamented.  Tourists  from  every 
quarter  of  the  globe,  who  have  visted  the  Temple,  have 
pronounced  it  to  be  the  finest  of  its  kind  in  the  East. 

In  the  front  of  the  temple  lies  the  garden,  in  the  centre  of 
which  is  a  beautiful  fountain.  All  round  are  paved  walks 
and  pretty  flower-beds.  Indian  as  well  as  exotic  plants  are 
tastefully  intermingl  ed  everywhere  in  the  garden.  Pavilions 
and  statuary  adorn  the  grounds. 


CHRISTIAN    MISSIONS.  67 

Over  against  the  Temple,  on  the  further  side  of  the 
garden,  is  a  piece  of  ornamental  water  stocked  with  innu- 
merable fish,  which  come  to  the  surface  at  the  call  of  the 
visitor.  As  the  Jains  do  not  destroy  life,  this  is  by  no 
means  a  singular  phenomenon. 

Within  the  grounds  there  are  buildings  for  holding 
receptions,  for  guests,  pilgrims,  etc.  Also  there  is  a  magni- 
ficient  Drawing  Room  which  should  be  seen. 

The  Temple  with  its  garden  was  designed  by  the  founder 
himself,  and  bears  testimony  to  his  architectural  and  artis- 
tic taste. 

The  grounds  are  open  to  the  public  from  sunrise  to  a 
late  hour  in  the  evening.  But  the  best  time  to  view 
them  is  in  the  morning  and  in  the  evening  before  dusk. 
The  temple  should  also  be  viewed  by  moonlight  when  it 
presents  a  most  romantic  appearance. 

The  traveller  should  not  fail  also  to  visit  the  palatial 
residence  of  Rai  Buddree  Dass  Bahadoor,  the  prince  of 
jewellers  in  Calcutta  at  1-52,  Harrison  Road,  where  a 
large  collection  of  rare  and  valuable  jewellery,  as  well  as 
some  of  the  priceless  historic  gems  of  India  can  be  seen. 
Christian  Missions. 

Leaving  the  Jain  Temple,  we  turn  up  Beadon  Street 
and  enter  Cornwallis  Square.  Here  we  find  the  General 
Assembly's  Institution  of  the  Estabhshed  Kirk  of 
Scotland.  Few  Europeans  have  perhaps  ever  exercised  a 
more  profound  moral  influence  in  the  East  than  did  the 
founder  of  the  Institution — the  famous  missionary. 
Dr.  Duff.  Estabhshed  in  1830,  the  Institution  had  several 
temporary  homes,  until  in  January  3rd,  1838,  the  present 
building  was  opened.  The  foundation-stone  had  been 
placed  in  position  on  February  23rd,  1838:  the  builders  were 
Messrs.  Mackintosh,  Burn  &  Co.,  and  the  cost  was  between 
50  and  60,000  rupees.  In  1844  the  missionaries  seceded 
to  the  Free  Kirk,  and  until  1846  it  remained  for  the 
time  closed.  From  that  year,  the  late  Dr.  Ogilvy  was  in 
charge  till  his  death  in  1871.  In  1864  the  College  Depart- 
ment was  affiliated  to  the  University  of  Calcutta,  and 
in  consequence  became  State-aided. 

Christ  Church,  Cornwallis  Squat '>,,  is  a  centre  of 
the  Church  Missionary  Society's  activity. 


66  GUIDE    TO    CALCUTTA. 

Driving  down  Cornwallis  Street  we  pass  the  gateway  of 
one  of  the  best  known  community  missions  in  the  English 
Church — the  Oxford  Mission  to  Calcutta.  This  is  the  Head 
Quarters  of  the  Brotherhood  of  the  Epiphany  who  labour 
here,  and  at  Barisal  and  Dacca,  but  chiefly  among  the 
University  students.  On  the  ground  floor  is  a  Chapel ;  a 
memorial  to  the  late  Canon  Liddon.  The  private  Oratory 
of  the  Brotherhood  is  on  the  second  floor. 

Hospitals, 

After  crossing  Machua  Bazar  Street,  we  find  on  our  right 
in  College  Street,  the  Medical  College  and  the  Medical 
College  Hospital.  The  former  was  founded  in  1834  by  Lord 
William  Bentinck,  and  the  buildings  were  erected  in  the 
year  following.  The  Hospital,  designed  and  built  by 
Messrs.  Bird  &  Co..  was  opened  in  December,  1852  :  the 
foundation  having  been  laid  with  full  Masonic  honours 
by  a  Mason-Viceroy,  Lord  Dalhousie,  on  September  30th, 
1848.  There  are  in  fact  five  medical  institutions  within 
one  and  the  same  vicinity — the  College,  the  College  Hos- 
pital, the  Eden  Hospital,  the  Eye  Infirmary  and  the  Ezra 
Hospital.  The  last  named  institution  erected  in  1887,  as 
a  gift  from  Mrs.  Ezra  to  the  Jewish  commmiity  of  Calcutta, 
is  on  the  North  side  of  the  compound.  The  Eden  Hospital, 
for  midwifery  and  diseases  of  women  and  children,  was 
erected  partly  by  Government  provision  and  partly  by 
charitable  gifts,  in  1882,  when  Sir  Ashley  Eden  was 
Lieutenant-Governor  of  Bengal.  The  Eye  Infirmary  is  the 
most  recent  of  these  benevolent  institutions. 
Colleges. 

In  College  Street  and  its  vicinity  are  : — 

1.  The  Presidency  College,  the  foundation  of  which 
was  laid  by  Sir  George  Campbell  in  1872.  It  is  conducted 
by  the  Education  Department  of  Bengal,  and  prepares 
candidates  from  all  classes  of  the  community  for  the  Arts 
Examinations  of  the  University. 

2.  The  Hare  School  (South  of  the  Presidency  College). 

3.  The  Sanscrit  College  is  to  the  North  of  the  square. 
It  was  founded  in  1824,  far  back  in  the  times  when  Oriental 
learning  had  not  fallen  under  the  discouragement  of 
Lord  Macaulay's  famous  Minute. 


TEE    BRBE   SCHOOL.  69 

4.     The  University  Senate  House. 

The  University  of  Calcutta  was  founded  by  the  Government  of  India  in 
1875.     It  is  an  examining  rather  than  a  teaching  body. 

Continuing  our  drive,  we  pass  along  the  West  side  of 
Wellington  Square. 

■ '  Excavated  in  1 822,  it  was  one  of  the  good  works  of  the  Lottery  Committee. 
Its  site  was  formerly  occupied  by  wretched  huts  inhabited  by  lascars  who 
made  the  place  a  mass  of  filth  and  dirt.  The  banks  have  several  times  fallen 
in,  owing  to  the  old  creek  called  Channel  Creek  having  formerly  flowed  through 
it."     Long  :  Calcutta  Review,  Vol.  XVIII,  p.  296. 

Crossing  Dharamtollah  and  Jaun  Bazar  (Corporation 
Street),  we  enter  Wellesley  Square.  On  the  North  side  is 
the  Calcutta  Madrassa,  founded  in  1781  by  Warren 
Hastings,  for  the  encouragement  of  Arabic  learning  and 
the  study  of  Mohammedan  Law.  The  present  buildings 
were  erected  in  1820.  At  the  north-west  corner  of  the 
Square  is  the  Free  Kirk  of  Scotland,  completed,  after 
grave  architectural  disasters,  in  1846.  The  spire  is 
graceful.  On  the  East  side  of  the  Square  is  St.  Saviour's, 
where  on  Sundays,  the  services  of  the  English  Church 
may    be  heard   in  at   least  three  Indian  languages. 

The  Free  School  and  St.  Thomas'  Church. 
We  turn  to  the  right  down  Marquis  Street  into  Free 
School  Street  and  then  to  the  right  once  more.  On  our 
right  we  see  the  Girls'  Free  School,  made  conspicuous  by 
the  figure  of  Charity  on  its  roof.  Then  comes  St.  Thomas' 
Church.  The  foundation-stone  was  laid  by  Lady  W. 
Bentinck  on  April  1.3th,  1830,  and  the  Church  (completed 
November  20th,  1831)  was  consecrated  by  Bishop  Wilson 
on  February  2nd,  1833.  The  Church  cost  the  Free  School 
Institution  Rs.  3.3,641. 

"  A  clumsy  steeple  of  the  sugar-loaf  pattern  was  added  at  the  cost  of  about 
Rs.  5,000  raised  by  subscription.  This  was  found  too  heavy  for  the  founda- 
tions, it  weighed  115  tons,  and  after  it  had  been  attended  to  several  times 
it  was  removed  by  the  Revd.  S.  B.  Taylor  in  1878,  and  the  present  "handsome 
light  Italian  Tower"  as  Mr.  Taylor  called  it,  was  substituted  at  the  small  cost 
to  the  school  of  Rs.  1,000.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  present  tower  is  a 
fac-simile  of  that  designed  by  Sir  Christopher  Wren  for  8t.  Mildred's,  Bread 
Street,  London."  .Archdeacon  Kitchin  :  Indian  Church  Quart.  Review,  1898, 
pp.  465—66. 

The  pulpit  in  the  Church  was  the  gift  of  the  Revd.  E. 
C.  Stewart,  afterwards  Bishop  of  Waiapur,  New  Zealand. 


70  GUIDE   TO   CALCUTTA. 

To  the  North  of  the  Church  is  the  Boys'  Free  School. 
The  first  Charity  School  in  Calcutta  was  founded  some- 
where between  1726  and  1731.  This  institution  after 
1 757  had  its  Head  Quarters  in  a  house  in  Tank  Place  which 
also  served  as  the  Court  House.  Ultimately  the  Charity 
School  Fund  was  merged  into  the  Free  School  Fund.  On 
December  21st,  1789,  the  Free  School  Society  was  founded 
at  a  public  meeting  presided  over  by  Lord  Cornwallis,  and 
shortly  afterwards  the  children  commenced  their  labours 
at  a  house  which  still  stands — No.  8,  Mission  Row.  The 
present  property — where  once  stood  the  house  of  Impey's 
colleague,  Mr.  Justice  Le  Maistre — was  purchased  in  1795, 
and  for  some  years  to  come  the  School  profited  much 
from  the  proceedings  of  the  annual  Calcutta  lotteries.  In 
1841  Free  School  Street  was  made  by  the  Lottery  Commit- 
tee, and  the  Governors  of  the  School  were  enabled  to 
extend  and  define  their  boundaries  of  the  School  grounds. 
A  great  storm  in  1852  played  serious  havoc  with  the 
already  decayed  buildings,  and  so  in  the  following  year,  a 
New  Boys'  School  was  commenced  by  Messrs.  Mackintosh, 
Burn  &  Co.  from  designs  prepared  by  Col.  W.  Forbes. 
Since  that  time  two  considerable  additions  have  been 
made.  In  the  Mutiny  year  (and  until  July  1858),  the 
Boys'  School  was  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  British 
troops,  and  among  the  records  is  preserved  the  following 
letter  from  the  then  Head  Master  to  the  then  Secretary  : — 

"  Dear  Sir, 

'".As  I  was  kept  awake  four  hours  last  night  by  the  noise  of  the  guard 
beneath  my  window,  I  consider  myself  amply  justified  in  deducting  four 
hours  from  our  school  time  to-day  to  complete  my  sleep." 

It  may  perhaps  be  pointed  out  that  the  Calcutta  Free 
School  is  one  of  the  most  deserving  of  our  Calcutta  chari- 
ties, but  between  1872  and  1904,  with  one  considerable 
exception,  no  benefactions  of  importance  have  been  made. 
Should  any  wealthy  visitor  to  Calcutta  wish  to  memorial- 
ise his  visit  to  the  place  he  could  not  do  better  than  send  a 
gift  for  the  school  to  the  Secretary  (St.  Thomas'  Parsonage, 
Free  School  Street),  by  whom  it  will  be  thankfully  received 
and  faithfully  applied.  The  School  must  have  saved  many 
and  many  a  piece  of  human  wreckage  from  drifting  down 
the  stream  named  "  no  purpose"  to  sure  and  certain  misery. 


II 


CHAPTER    VI. 

The  Village  of  Cho  wring  hi. 

Chowringhi  *    is,  at  the    present  day,  practically   the 
name  of  a  road  only — the  road  which  from  Dharamtollah 
in   the  North  to    Lower  ^iFcular    Road    in    the    South 
dringes_the_eastern_  boundary^  of  t^^^^  Maidan.     This 

road  is,  of  course,  a  portion  of  the  ancient  Hindu  pilgrim 
road  from  Chitpore  to  Kalighat,  and  even  in  1794,  in  the 
proclamation  defining  the  limits  of  the  town,  it  is  named 
"Chowringhi  High  Road."  But,  fiistorically,  Chow- 
ringhi  is  a  village  or  township  rather  than  a  road  or 
street.  In  Apjohn's  map,  prepared  in  1792,  the  dis- 
trict of  "Chowringhi"  is  placed  immediately  North  of  the 
present  Park  Street,  and  is  separated  from  Dharamtollah 
by  a  number  of  native  bazars.  So  far  back  as  1714 
"  Cherangy  "  is  named  among  the  townships  neighbour- 
hood within  the  Pergunnah  of  Calcutta  either  possessed 
or  desired  by  the  Company.  Bit  by  bit  the  name  was 
extended  from  the  village  North  of  Park  Street,  or  the 
"Burying  Ground  Road,"  to  cover  the  whole  south- 
east part  of  Calcutta.  In  1802  Lord  Valentia  writes  : 
"Chowringhee,  an  entire  village,  runs  for  a  considerable 
length  at  right  angles  with  it  (the  Esplanade)  and  alto- 
gether forms  the  finest  view  I  ever  beheld  in  any  city." 

In  October  1824,  Bishop  Heber  writes,  "Chowringhee, 
lately  a  mere  scattered  suburb,  but  now  almost  as  closely 
built  as,  and  a  very  little  less  extensive  than  Calcutta."  f 
In  the  Memoir  of  Bishop  Jame»,  Heber' s  immediate  suc- 
cessor, Chowringhi  is  described  as  a  suburb   "separated 


•  Derived  perhaps  from  Cherani  or  Khali  as  cut  to  pieces  by  Vishnu's  disc,  or 
from  an  ascetic  named  Charangha  Swanii. 

t  Heber  included  the  present  Military  Hospital,  then  llie  Sudder  Dewan 
Court,  within   "Chowringhi." 


72  GUIDK    TO    CALCUTTA. 

from  Calcutta  by  an  ancient  bazar.*"  Bishop  Wil- 
son, in  his  first  appeal,  on  behalf  of  the  Building  Fund 
of  St.  Paul's  Cathedral,  gives  the  year  1824  as  the  time 
at  which  a  Church  for  the  Europeans  in  Chowringhi  was 
first  felt  to  be  desirable. 

Remembering  then,  that  the  name  Chowringhi  origin- 
ates in  a  village  North  of  the  present  Park  Street,  we  will, 
for  the  purposes  of  this  Chapter,  employ  it  to  denote 
what,  socially  but  not  geographically,  may  be  described 
as  the  "West  End"  of  Calcutta — a  district  bounded  by 
Park  Street  on  the  North,  Lower  Circular  Road  on  the 
East  and  South,  and  the  Maidan  on  the  West,  t 

Writing  in  1852,  the  Revd.  J.  Long  records  that  :  "There 
is  a  lady  still  living  who  recollects  when  there  were  only 
two  houses  in  Chowringhi — to  wit,  the  Palace  of  the  first 
Chief  Justice,  Sir  ■Elijah  Impey,  and  the  present  St.  Paul's 
School."  We  wonder  whether  the  lady  referred  to  was 
the  famous  Mrs.  Ellerton.  +  who  in  the  year  of  the  great 
Mutiny,  was  wont  to  recount  how  she  had  seen  the  body 
of  Sir  Philip  Francis  carried  in  a  palanquin  over  Tolly's 
Nullah  "all  bloody  from  the  duel."§  Claud  Martin's 
map  of  1768,  however,  shows  at  least  three  European 
houses  South  of  Park  Street,  and  in  Apjohn's  map  of 
1794,  nearly  40  European  residences  are  shown  between 
Jaun  Bazar  and  Park  Street,  and  nearly  forty  south- 
wards. This  map  also  shows  (but  without  names  of 
course)  Russell  Street,  Harrington  Street,  Camac  Street. 
Theatre  Road,  Loudon  Street,  Wood  Street  and  Elysium 
Row.  I  am  therefore  inclined  to  accept  the  statement 
of  the  Revd.  J.  Long's  friend  in  the  sense  that  I  have 
accepted  the  statement  of  a  lady  who  assured  me  that  she 
was  so  very  much  interested  in  Mr.  Hyde's  lectures  on 
Old  Calcutta  for  her  mother  had  a  cousin  who  was  "thrown 
down  the  Black  Hole."     The  old  lady's  memory  must 


*  Doubtless  the  Jain  (Juuii)  Bazar 

t  In  1792  this  district  would  have  been  known  as  the  northern  portion  of  Dhec 
Birjee. 

I  Mrs.  EUerton,  the  raotlier-in-law  of  Bishop  Cdrrie,  came  to  live  with  Bishop 
Wilson  and  liis  family  at  the  t'alace  in  1855.  "She  jokes  with  me,"  writes  the 
Bishop,  "and  calls  me  twice  seven  (77).  I  keep  four  bearers  for  her  exclusive 
use."  She  died  just  thic"  wepks  after  Bishop  Wilson's  death  in  1857,  when  she 
was  not  quite  H6  years  of  age. 

§  Francis  was  not  conveyed  across  Tolly's  Nullah  after  the  due). 


THE    CATHEDRAL.  73 

have  been  unduly  tinged  by  her  imagination,  yet  we 
may  perhaps  take  her  word  for  it  that  the  two  houses 
she  mentions  were  the  oldest  in  the  Chowringhi  suburb 
in  1848.  Of  Sir  Elijah  Impey's  house  something  will  be 
said  later  on  under  the  heading  of  the  Bishop's  Palace. 

"The  present  St.  Paul's  School"*  was  a  fine  old  building 
standing  where  the  Government  Art  School  (soon  to 
disappear)  now  stands.  The  School  was  founded  in  1847, 
but  in  1864  it  was  transferred  to  Darjeeling  by  Bishop 
Cotton.  The  building  was  purchased  by  Government 
and,  after  for  a  time  sheltering  the  Bengal  Secretariat,  it 
was  dismantled. 

St.  Paul's  Cathedral. 

In  the  year  1819,  plans  for  a  magnificent  Cathedral 
and  Episcopal  residence  were  drawn  up,  at  the  com- 
mand of  the  Marquess  of  Hastings,  by  Major  W.  M. 
Forbes,  the  architect,  who  twenty  years  later  designed 
the  present  building.  The  heavy  cost  of  the  Burmese 
War,  however,  necessitated  retrenchment,  and  the  idea 
of  a  Cathedral  more  pretentious  than  the  Old  Church  of 
St.  John,  hung  fire  until  at  last  the  arrival  of  Chantrey's 
colossal  statue  of  Bishop  Heber  necessitated  more  suitable 
accommodation  than  could  be  found  for  it  at  St.  John's. 
From  an  isolated  village  Chowringhi  had  become  the 
"Mayfair"  of  Calcutta,  and  a  Church  was  now  much 
needed  for  the  magnates  of  the  Company  who  had 
established  their  residences  in  this  locality.  The  site 
assigned  by  Lord  Auckland's  government  is  described 
as  "a  waste  space  between  Elhot's  Tank  and  the 
Fives  Court,  and  is  in  part  occupied  by  the  cross  road 
from  Chowringhi  to  the  Prison."  It  was  hoped  that 
when  the  expense  of  building  the  Cathedral  had  been 
defrayed,  money  would  be  provided  for  removing  the 
unsightly  Fives  Court.  Unfortunately  the  money  for 
that  purpose  has  never  come  in,  and  the  Fives  (or  rather 
the  Rackpt  Court)  has  been  made  still  more  unsightly  ! 


*  St.  Paul's  Sclif)ol  took  the  plaf-e  of  "the  Calcutta  High  School"   founded  iu 
1830  with  the  Revd.  McQueen  as  firpt  Head  Master.    For  early  history  of  the  Cal 
'  antta  European  Educational  EsfaWishments,  see  the  Calcutta  Review.  Vol.  XIII. 


74  GUIDE    TO    CALCUTTA, 

To  the  Building  Fund  Bishop  Wilson  himself  contri- 
buted £10,000.  The  Hon' ble  Company  gave  £15,000  and 
the  site  ;  the  Society  for  Promoting  Christian  Know- 
ledge £5,000 ;  the  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel 
£5,000 ;  and  the  Kevd.  John  Natt,  Vicar  of  St.  Sepul- 
chre's, London,  £4,000.  In  an  early  list  of  subscribers 
are  to  be  found  the  names  of  John  Henry  Newman  and 
Dr.  Pusey.  Indian  subscriptions  amounted  to  £12,000 
and  donations  from  home  to  £1.3,000.  The  Bishop  subse- 
quently gave  another  £10,000  to  endow  canonries,  but 
this  endowment  has  since  been  transferred  to  other  objects. 
On  October  the  8th,  18.39,  the  foundation-stone  was  laid 
by  the  munificent  founder. 

The  building  consists  of  a  Choir,  the  Transept,  and  two 
V)ays  of  a  nave  which  was  originally  intended  to  stretch 
very  much  further  westward.  The  Choir  measures  inter- 
nally 127  X  16  feet — dimensions  very  similar  to  those  of 
Manchester.  It  was  the  founder's  intention  that  the 
Organ  should  be  placed  in  the  eastern  arch  of  the  Lantern 
Tower,  and  the  seats  were  for  many  years  arranged 
East  and  West  after  the  fashion  prevalent  in  Cathedral 
Choirs  in  England.  The  demand  for  seats,  however,  has 
rendered  this  plan  impracticable.  The  extreme  length  of 
the  building  is  242  feet ;  its  width  81,  and  ab  the  Transept 
114.  The  Spire — described  in  the  appeal  for  funds  as  an 
improvement  on  that  of  Norwich  Cathedral  — is  the  only 
part  of  the  building  which  can  be  candidly  described  a« 
graceful.     It  is  201  feet  high. 

The  original  East  Window  depicted  the  Crucifixion, 
and  was  the  work  of  Benjamin  West.  It  was  originally 
intended  to  be  a  gift  from  King  George  III  to  St.  George's 
Chapel,  Windsor,  but  for  some  unknown  cause  it  was 
iiever  erected  there.  It  was  set  up  here  in  1847,  but 
completely  wrecked  by  a  cyclone  in  1864.  The  present 
somewhat  insipid  window,  procured  by  local  subscription, 
is  the  work  of  Messrs.  Clayton  and  Bell.  To  the  right 
of  it  is  a  window  presented  by  the  Government  of  India  in 
memory  of  Bishop  Milman.  To  the  left  is  a  more  satis- 
factory window — the  gift  of  Sir  Montague  C.  Turner. 
Beneath  these  windows  are  panel  pictures  set  in  alabaster 
framework.     These  pictures  depicting  scenes  in  the  career 


BISHOP  Wilson's  tomb.  75 

of  St.  Paul,  are  in  so-called  Florentine  mosaic  and  were 
designed  by  Sir  Arthur  Blomfield.  The  artist  who 
designed  the  magnificent  mosaics  in  the  modern  fa9ade 
of  the  Duomo  at  Florence  might  reasonably  protest 
against  the  description  of  Sir  Arthur  Blomfield's  Cross- 
and-Blackwell  potted-meat-label  type  of  art  as  "Floren- 
tine," but  the  Calcutta  Cathedral  mosaics,  erected  at 
different  dates  as  memorials  to  persons  of  distinguished 
merit,  at  least  show  that  their  designer's  taste  improved 
with  years.  On  the  North  side  of  the  sanctuary  rest  the 
mortal  remains  of  Bishop  Wilson.  On  the  South  side  is 
the  handsome  Episcopal  Throne  recently  erected,  as  a 
memorial  of  Bishop  Johnson's  episcopate,  and  designed 
by  Mr.  Thornton. 

In  memory  of  the  Right  Revd.  Daniel,  fifth  Bishop  of  Calcutta,  and 
Metropolitan  in  India ;  eight  years  Vicar  of  Islington,  and  twenty-five  Bishop 
of  this  Diocese. 

Born  July  2nd,  1778. 
Died  January  2nd,  1858. 

0     eE02     I  A  A^Q  H  T I 
MO  I     Ta     A  M  APT  ilA  ii.* 

This  tablet  is  erected  by  the  Bishop's  Executors  in  conformity  with 
his  will. 

The  pride  of  the  Cathedral  is  undoubtedly  its  great 
West  Window  erected  in  1880  by  the  Government  of  India 
as  a  memorial  to  Lord  Mayo.  It  is  one  of  the  master- 
pieces of  the  late  Sir  E.  Burne  Jones.  To  examine  its 
lower  lights,  the  visitor  must  ascend  to  the  Cathedral 
Library  over  the  Western  Porch.  The  Library  is  per- 
haps the  oldest  extant  free  Public  Library  in  India  and 
contains  many  works  of  great  value.  It  is  scarcely 
up-to-date  even  in  its  theological  department,  and 
funds  are  wanting  for  the  printing  of  a  satisfactory 
catalogue.  Next  to  the  Western  Window,  the  Cathedral 
may  pride  itself  on  its  noble  Organ — one  of, the  finest  ever 
built  by  Willis  &  Sons.     The  original  Organ,  erected  in 


God  be  propitiated  to  me  a  sumci. 


76  GUIDE    TO    CALCUTTA. 

July  1897,  cost  £1,500.  The  present  Organ,  which  has 
since  been  enlarged,  was  opened  in  January,  1881,  and 
excluding  its  case,  cost  Rs.  25,000. 

The  southern  portion  of  the  Transept  is  much  blocked 
up  by  the  handsome  marble  tomb  originally  erected 
over  Lady  Canning's  grave  in  Barrackpore  Park,  but 
brought  here  for  protection  against  the  effects  of  the 
rains.  Chantrey's  colossal  statue  of  Bishop  Heber 
(kneeling)  was  brought  from  the  West  Porch  of  St.  John's 
where  it  had  been  subject  to  the  injurious  effects  of  the 
climate. 

The  monuments  in  the  detruncated  nave  and  the  tran" 
sept  are  full  of  interest  to  the  student  of  Anglo-Indian 
history.  The  inscription  on  the  monument  of  William 
Ritchie  is  by  the  pen  of  his  relative — the  novelist 
W.  M.  Thackeray.  That  on  the  monument  to  P.  Vans 
Agnew  and  W.  Anderson  is  worth  quoting  here,  as 
although  it  is  said  to  have  been  written  by  Macaulay, 
it  is  not  given  in  the  collected  edition  of  that  author's 
writings  : 

"Not  near  this  stone  nor  in  any  consecrated  ground,  but  on  the  extreme 
frontier  of  the  British  Indian  Empire,  He  the  remains  of  Patrick  Alexander 
Vans  Agnew,  of  the  Bengal  Civil  Service,  and  William  Anderson,  Lieutenant, 
1st  Bombay  Fusilier  Regiment,  Assistants  to  the  Resident  at  Lahore;  whom 
being  deputed  by  the  Government  to  relieve,  at  his  own  request,  Dewan 
Moolraj,  Viceroy  of  Mooltan,  of  the  fortress  and  authority  which  he  held,  were 
attacked  and  wounded  by  the  Garrison  on  the  9th  April,  1848,  and  being 
treacherously  deserted  by  the  Sikh  escort,  were  on  the  following  day,  in  flag- 
rant breach  of  national  faith  and  hospitality,  barbarously  murdered  in  the 
Edgah,  under  the  walls  of  Mooltan.  Thus  fell  these  two  young  public  servants 
at  the  age  of  25  and  28  years,  full  of  high  hopes,  rare  talents,  and  promise  of 
future  usefulness ;  even  in  their  deaths  doing  their  country  honour :  wounded 
^nd  forsaken  they  could  ofier  no  resistance  ;  but  hand-in- hand  calmly  awaited 
the  onset  of  their  assailants  ;  nobly  they  refused  to  yield,  foretelling  the  day 
when  thousands  of  Englishmen  should  come  to  avenge  their  death,  and 
destroy  Moolraj,  his  army  and  fortress.  History  records  how  the  prediction 
was  fulfilled.  They  were  buried  with  Military  Honours  on  the  summit  of  the 
captured  citadel  on  the  26th  January,  184fj. 

"The  annexation  of  the  Punjab  to  the  British  Empire  was  the  result  of  the 
war,  of  which  their  assassination  was  the  commencement. 

"The  Assistants  to  the  Resident  at  Lahore  have  erected  this  monument  to 
the  memory  of  their  friends." 

The  inscription  and  verse  on  the  memorial  to  the 
Volunteers  from   India  who  fell  in  the  last  South  African 


LUMSDEN  8  HOKSE  MEMORIAL.  77 

War  was  written  by  H.  E.  Lord  Curzon,  whose  gift  the 
monument  is.     It  reads  as  follows  : — 

This  Tablet 

Has  been  placed  in  this  Cafchedral  by 

Lord  Curzon,  Viceroy  and  Govr.-Genl.  of  India, 

Honorary  Colonel  of  Lumsden's  Horae, 

In  honour  of  those  Members  of  the 

First  Corps  of  British  Volunteers  from  India 

Who  have  fought  and  died  for  the  Empire. 

Lumsden's  Horse,  raised  by  Lt.-Col.  D.  M.  Lumsden, 

From  British  subjects  of  the  Queen  in  India, 

Left  Calcutta,  25U  strong,  in  February,  1900, 

To  take  part  in  the  South  African  War 

Under  the  Command  of  Field  Marshall  Lord  Roberts. 

They  lost  bj-  death  in  action 
Major  Eden  Charles  Showers  at  Montnek  30  April  1900 
Trooper  Robert  James  Clayton  Daubeney  ,, 

Trooper  Henry  Charles  Lumsden  ,, 

Trooper  Robert  Upton  Case  „ 

Trooper  Arthur  Fred.  Franks  ,, 

Trooper  Arthur  King  Mears   at  Vet  River,  6  May 
Sergt.  Walter  Larkins  Walker  at  Boxhurg,  26  Dec, 

By  death  from  sickness 
Trooper  Montagu  Beadon  FoUett  at  Johannesburg,  7  July  1900. 
Lt.-Col.  John  Martin  Halliday  Maclaine  at  Pretoria,  29  Aug.  1900, 

These  sons  of  Britain  in  the  East 
Fought  not  for  praise  or  fame. 
They  died  for  England,  and  the  least 
Made  greater  her  great  name. 

Opposite  is  the  Woodburn  Memorial  erected  by  members 
of  his  own  service. 

The  clock  and  the  chimes  were  the  work  of  Valliamy. 
"The  chimes  of  Valliamy's  clock  in  the  Cathedral," 
writes  Bishop  Wilson  in  1847.  "  are  beginning  to  delight 
all  Calcutta.  The  inscription  on  the  great  bell — 'its  sound 
is  gone  out  into  all  lands' — is  to  be  gilded.  This  with  'the 
arrow  of  the  Lord's  deliverance'  will,  I  hope,  prove  an 
augury  and  pledge  of  the  salvation  of  India."  The 
arrow  here  so  quaintly  described  was  a  gilded  shaft  of  cop- 
per, nine  feet  long,  set  up  on  the  summit  of  the  spire  on 
April  26th,  1845.  The  Bishop  called  it  "  a  pledge  of  the 
arrow  of  the  Lord's  deliverance  for  India  and  of  the  Mes- 
siah's doctrine,  being,  like  arrows,  sharp  in  the  heart  of 
the  King's  enemies,  so  that  the  people  may  fall  under  it 
»in    penitence,    faith,    and     alleeiance."      In    1869.    the 


78  GUIDE   TO    CALCUTTA. 

workmen  engaged  on  the  repairs  appropriated  the  copper 
arrow,  and  subsequently  one  of  iron-gilt  was  set  up  in 
its  place. 

The  handsome  Communion  Vessels  were  presented  to 
the  Cathedral  by  the  late  Queen-Empress. 

During  the  last  few  years  many  improvements  in  the 
building  have  been  carried  out  under  the  watchful  eye  of 
the  present  Senior  Chaplain,  the  Revd.  Canon  A.  G.  Luck- 
man.  The  roof  of  the  Chancel,  described  in  the 
Eastern  Star,  of  February  26th,  1848,  as  "  an  iron- 
trussed  roof  which  is  highly  ornamental,  though  a  varia- 
tion from  the  Gothic"  and  "  next  to  that  of  Westmin- 
ster Hall,  one  of  the  largest  roofs  in  Christendom,"  has 
been  redeemed  from  its  former  railway-station  appear- 
ance *  by  a  discreet  and  tasteful  system  of  colouring. 
The  former  hideous  gas  lighting  has  been  removed,  and 
graceful  electroliers  substituted :  electric  fans  have 
replaced  the  cumbrous  punkahs,  and  the  sanctuary  reheved 
of  the  bellows  of  the  Organ  by  the  provision  of  a  special 
chamber,  fitted  up  with  the  most  approved  electrical 
machinery  outside  the  wall   of   the  Cathedral. 

Before  leaving  the  Cathedral,  it  is  worth  while  to  recall 
the  fine  record  of  its  Bishops.  Middleton,  1814-1823 ; 
Heber,  1823-1826;  James,  1827-1828;  Turner,  1829-1831; 
Wilson,  1832-1858;  Cotton,  1858-1866;  Milman,  1866-1876; 
have  all  died  in  the  land  of  their  adoption,  and  the  first 
Bishop  to  resign  the  See  (Johnson,  1876-1898)  served  strenu- 
ously for  twenty-two  years  when  past  the  prime  of  a  busy 
life.  Bishop  Welldon  came  to  India  in  1899,  after  a  serious 
but  apparently  not  very  successful  operation,  and  in  1902 
was  compelled  by  constant  attacks  of  fever  to  resign.  The 
present  Metropolitan  has  served  the  Church  in  the  East 
since  1875,  when  he  was  consecrated  to  the  See  of  Colombo. 
It  may  be  worth  while  to  add  that  until  1835,  when  the 
See  of  Bombay  was  created,  there  was  only  one  Anglican 
Bishop  for  the  whole  of  India,  and  his  jurisdiction, 
extended  not  only  over  the  Straits  Settlements,  but  Aus- 
tralasia, and  even  partially  to  Cape  Town.  On  St.  Luke's 
day,   1855,  the  first   consecration  of  an  English  Colonial 

*  The  comparisou  is  made  by  Lady  Dufierin  in  Our  Viceregal  Life  tn  India. 


I 


THE   GREAT   BELL.  79 

bishop  out  of  Etigland  took  place  in  Calcutta  Cathedral, 
when  "brave  Macdougal,"  of  Kingsley's  poem,*  was 
consecrated  Bishop  of  Labuan  by  Bishop  Wilson,  assisted 
by  Bishop  Dealtry  of  Madras  and  Bishop  Smith  of 
Victoria. 

The  Bishop's  Palace  and  some  other  houses  in 
Chowringhi. 

The  Calcutta  residence  of  the  Metropolitan  of  India  is 
situated  in  Chowringhi  Road,  almost  immediately  facing 
the  Cathedral.  It  is  a  fine  house  with  a  spacious  veran- 
dah running  round  its  West  and  southern  sides.  Close  to 
the  gateway  there  is  a  massive  Chinese  bell.  The  follow- 
ing is  a  translation  of  the  inscription  : — 

Bell  at  Limbo  and  placed  in  the  Saint's  Chxjech. 

With  joy  and  gladness  we  place  this  bell  in  the  Church,  so  that  the  sound  of 
its  peals  may  not  only  be  heard  close  by  but  alar. 

The  saints  have  their  dweUing  place  everywhere. 

If  you  beUeve,  you  will  follow  God's  way  and  will  find  easy  access 
to  him. 

On  hearing  the  sound  of  the  bell,  you  will  be  brought  to  a  recollection  of 
your  sins. 

Even  the  dead  on  hearing  the  sound  of  the  bell  will  ascend  to  heaven. 

We  on  this  earth  are  burning  in  fire,  on  hearing  the  sound  of  this  bell,  will 
escape  out  of  its  heat  to  a  cooler  place. 

Those  who  beUeve  in  God  shall  all  become  saints. 

Chan  Lung  [Viceroy  of]  Thai-Chin  in  his  4th  year,t  on  a  lucky  day  in 
November,  made  this  bell. 

Quong-Si  [Viceroy  of]  Thai -Chin  in  his  17th  year  made  this  inscription. 

The  present  Palace  was  once  the  property  of  the  Hon'ble 
Mr.  Wilberforce  Bird.  It  was  purchased  in  1849  by  Bishop 
Daniel  Wilson  for  Rs.  55,000,  and  on  its  improvements 
the  same  Prelate  spent  Rs.  24,000.  The  first  Bishop  of 
Calcutta,  Dr.  T.  F.  Middleton,  who  was  denied  the  privi- 
lege of  a  Government  provided  episcopal  residence  seems 
to  have  lived  in  a  house  situated  where  the  Alliance  Bank 
of  Simla  now  stands,  close  to  the  Old  Cathedral  and  in  the 


•  a  famous  context : — 

"  Do  the  work  that's  nearest, 

Though  it  be  dull  at  whiles, 

Helping  when  you  see  them 

Lame  dogs  over  stiles. ' ' 
t  The  fourth  year  of  Chand  Lung  is  said  to  be  1720  A.  D. 


80  GUIDK    TO    CALCUTTA. 

heart  of  the  City.  At  a  later  date,  Middleton  moved  into 
Chowringhi.  but  his  residence  there  has  not  been  identified. 
Heber,  who  before  leaving  England,  was  careful  to  secure 
the  promise  of  a  free  residence,  was  first  accommodated 
in  the  house  originally  built  for  the  Governors-General  in 
Fort  William  and  now  the  Outram  Institute.  Heber's 
next  Calcutta  residence  was  No.  3,  Harrington  Street, 
which  he  complained  was  "  decidedly  too  small  for  the 
comfortable  accommodation  of  my  family  and  books,  and 
at  so  considerable  a  distance  from  the  Cathedral,  the  Free 
School  and  other  scenes  of  my  duty,  as  to  render  my 
removal  to  a  more  central  situation  an  object  of  great 
importance."  So  the  good  Bishop  was  packed  off  to  the 
former  palace  of  Sir  E.  Impey  which  in  the  days  of  that 
much-abused  individual  had  a  park  stretching  from  Chow- 
ringhi Road  almost  to  Camac  Street.  The  present  Middle- 
ton  Row  (named  after  the  Police  Magistrate,  S.  Middleton) 
was  its  central  drive.  "It  was  surrounded,"  writes  Mr. 
Long,  "  by  a  fine  wall,  a  large  tank  was  in  front,  and 
plenty  of  room  for  a  deer  park,  a  guard  of  sipahis  was 
allowed  to  patrol  about  the  house  and  grounds  at  night, 
and  occasionally  firing  off  their  guns  and  muskets  to  keep 
off  the  dakaits."  I  believe  that  the  park  and  perhaps 
some  of  the  house  existed  at  the  time  Calcutta  was  besieged 
by  Suraj-ud-Daula.  This  house  is  the  present  Loretto 
Convent  in  Middleton  Row.  Heber  found  it  so  large  as 
to  exclude  all  ideas  of  comfort.  "  I  feel,"  he  writes, 
"  almost  lost  in  a  dining-room,  sixty-seven  feet  long,  a 
drawing-room  of  the  same  dimensions,  a  .study  supported 
by  arcades,  and  though  low  in  proportion  to  its  size,  forty- 
five  feet  square."  He  was,  therefore,  removed  to  No.  5, 
Russell  Street,  "  in  Dhee  Birjee  and  Chowharbar,  other- 
wise now  called  Chowringhee.  "  It  was  in  this  house 
Bishop  James  spent  his  few  months  in  Calcutta,  and  here, 
on  July  7th,  1831,  Bishop  Turner  breathed  his  last. 
Russell  Street,  we  may  remark  in  passing,  is  derived  from 
Sir  Henry  Russell,  who  was  appointed  a  Puisne  Judge  of 
the  High  Court  in  1797.  His  house  is  said  to  have  been 
the  first  built  in  this  street,  and  here,  on  March  2nd,  1800, 
died  the  fair  Rose  Aylmer,  who  had  come  to  India  as  Lady 
Russell's  guest. 


CHOWRINGHI.  81 

Walking  from  the  Cathedral  down  Chowringhi  Road, 
we  may  remember  that  the  first  footpath  made  in  Cal- 
cutta is  the  one  on  which  we  are  walking,  and  that  it  is 
not  yet  fifty  years  old.  It  was  constructed  in  1858, 
on  the  site  of  an  open  drain.  We  pass  the  vast  depot 
of  the  Army  and  Navy  Stores  which  will  perhaps  be 
scarcely  dwarfed  even  when  the  marble  walls  of  the 
Victoria  Memorial  Hall  have  sprung  up  on  the  Maidan 
westward  of  the  Cathedral.  It  is  a  pity  that  so  fine  a 
building,  as  the  Army  and  Navy  Stores  undoubtedly  is, 
should  have  been  defaced  by  the  untidy  erections  on  its 
roof. 

No.  33,  Chowringhi  Road,  the  present  Bengal  Club, 
was,  in  a  much  altered  condition,  the  residence  of  Lord 
Macaulay  in  the  days  (1834)  when  he  was  Legal  Member 
of  the  Supreme  Council.  Here  he  wrote  for  the  Edin- 
burgh some  of  his  most  famous  Essays  and  sent  them 
to  be  set  up  in  type  at  the  Englishman  Press.*  And 
here  he  conceived  that  Educational  policy  which  the  late 
Sir  J.  Seeley  has  so  vigorously  censured  in  his  Expansion 
of  England. 

Lord  Macaulay' s  view  is  well  expressed  in  a  letter  of 
1838  :— 

■  ■  Our  English  schools  are  flourishing  wonderfully.  We  find  it  difficult — 
indeed,  in  some  places,  impossible — to  provide  instruction  for  all  who  want  it. 
At  the  single  town  of  Hooghly  fourteen  hundred  boys  are  learning  English. 
The  effect  of  this  education  is  prodigious.  No  Hindoo  who  has  received  an 
English  education  ever  remains  sincerely  attached  to  his  religion.  Some 
continue  to  profess  it  as  a  matter  of  policy,  but  many  profess  themselves  pure 
deists,  and  some  embrace  Christianity.  It  is  my  firm  belief  that  if  our  plans 
of  education  are  followed  up,  there  will  not  be  a  single  idolator  among  the 
respectable  classes  in  Bengal  thirty  years  hence.  And  this  will  be  effected 
without  any  efforts  to  proselytise,  without  the  smallest  interference  with  reli- 
gious liberty,  merely  by  the  natural  operation  of  knowledge  and  reflection. 
I  heartily  rejoice  in  the  prospect."  Life  and  Letters  of  Lord  Macaulay.  Vol.  I. 
p.  489. 

From  the  Calcutta  Review  of  1848  we  cull  : — 

'  ■  When  Mr.  Macaulay  arrived  herejCalcutta — as  its  wont  is — rushed  to  bow 
the  knee  to  the  new  Baal.  This  sort  of  idolatry  is  enough  of  itself  to  turn  the 
head  of  any  man,  save  one  of  simple  manners  and  noble  dignity  of  character. 
Macaulay  is  not  a  man  of  simple  manners — and  we  leave  it  to  others  to  say, 
what  traces  of  hospitality,  benefit,  kindness,  or  large  disinterestedness  he  has 

*  See  Daniel's  picture  in  the  Victoria  Memorial  CoUection, 
F,  (;c  6 


82  GUIDE    TO    CALCUTTA. 

left  behind  him.  The  Scotch  next  crowded  to  his  levee  and  bo-hood — and 
begged  of  him  to  preside  at  their  St.  Andrew's  feast.  He  came  accordingly 
and  made  one  grand  artificial  sounding  brass  and  tinkling  cymbal  kind  of 
speech.  How  the  ears  of  these  Caledonians  must  have  tingled,  when  thrice 
in  the  course  of  that  memorable  evening  (thrice  the  brindled  cat  hath  mewed) 
Mr.  Macaulay  assured  them  he  was  iiot  a  Scotchman." 

W  e  now  turn  into  Park  Street,  named  the  ' '  Burial 
Ground  Road"  in  Apjohn's  map  of  1794: 

'  Park  Street  so-called  because  it  led  to  Sir  E.  Impey's  Park.  Being  out  of 
town  last  [i.e.,  the  XVIIIth]  century,  it  was  the  route  for  burials  from  town 
(i.e.,  the  part  north  of  Tank  Square)  to  the  Circular  Road  burial-ground,  hence 
it  was  dreaded  as  a  residence.  "All  funeral  processions  are  concealed  as  much 
as  possible  from  the  sight  of  the  ladies,  that  the  vivacity  of  their  tempers 
may  not  be  wounded' — death  and  dancing  did  not  harmonise  together.*  We 
find  in  the  India  Gazette  of  1788  a  notice  from  T.  Maundesley,  undertaker 
advertising  for  work,  having  regularly  followed  that  profession  in  England.! 
He  statesthat,  on  account  of  the  great  distance  of  the  burial-ground,  he  has 
built  a  hearse  and  is  fitting  up  a  mourning  coach — previous  to  that  what  a 
gloomy  scene  in  Park  Street,  a  funeral  procession  continuing  one  hour  or 
more.  The  coffins,  covered  with  a  rich  black  velvet  pall,  were  carried  on  men's 
shoulders  and  the  European  pall-bearers  arranged  (5)  a  little  before  they 
came  to  the  ground.'  "  The  Rev.  J.  Long  in  the  Calcutta  Review,  Vol.  XVIII, 
p.  288. 

The  Bengal  Asiatic  Society. 

At  the  corner  of  Park  Street,  No.  57,  is  the  house  of  the 
Asiatic  Society  or  Bengal.  This  distinguished  Society 
was  founded  on  January  18th,  1784.  Its  first  President 
was  Sir  William  Jones,  and  its  earliest  patron  Warren 
Hastings. 

"In  the  terms  of  the  original  resolution,  the  object  of  the  Society  was 
'enquiry into  the  history  and  antiquities,  arts,  sciences,  and  literature  of  Asia.' 
Dilating  on  this  definition,  Sir  WUliam  Jones  remarked  :  'You  will  investigate 
whatever  is  rare  in  the  stupendous  falsic  nature  ;  will  correct  the  geography 
of  Asia  by  new  observations  and  discoveries  ;  will  trace  the  annals  and  even 
traditions  of  those  nations  who,  from  time  to  time,  have  peopled  or  desolated 
it ;  and  will  bring  to  Ught  their  various  forms  of  Government  with  their  institu  - 
tions  civil  and  religious.  You  will  examine  their  improvements  and  methods 
in    arithmetic    and    geometry — in    trigonometry,    mensuration,    mechanics 

*  Lord  Valentia  [1802].  "  Consumptions  are  very  frequent  amongst  the  ladies 
which  I  attribute  in  a  great  measure  to  their  incessant  dancing,  even  during  the 
hottest  weather.  After  such  violent  exercise  they  go  into  the  verandahs,  and 
expose  themselves  to  a  cool  breeze  and  damp  atmosphere."  Travels,  \o\.  I, 
p.  195. 

t  At  Madras,  in  1789,  the  famous  educationalist.  Dr.  Bell,  was  "  Superintendent 
of  the  undertaker's  office."  About  this  time  in  a  course  of  lectures  "he  per- 
formed the  experiment  of  making  ice,  which  was  the  first  time  it  had  been 
exhibited  in  India."  He  also,  by  an  accident,  constructed  the  first  hot  air  balloon 
made  in  India.  Southey's  Life  of  Dr.  Bell  is  one  of  the  thousand  deeply 
interesting  books  which  Anglo-Indian  readers  have  lost  sight  of. 


THK  ASIATIC   SOCIETY.  8o 

optics,  astronomy  and  general  physics  ;  their  systems  of  morality,  grammar, 
rhetoric  and  dialectics  ;  their  skiU  in  surgery  and  medicine,  and  their 
advancement,  whatever  it  may  be,  in  anatomy  and  chemistry.  To  this 
you  wiU  add  researches  into  their  agriculture,  manufacture,  and  trade  ;  and 
whilst  you  enquire  into  their  music,  architecture,  painting,  and  poetry,  will 
not  neglect  those  inferior  arts,  by  which  comforts  and  even  elegances  of  social 
life  are  supplied  or  improved.'  To  give  emphasis  to  these  detaUs  Sir  William 
J  ones  added  :  'If  now  it  be  asked,  what  are  the  intended  objects  of  our  enquiries 
within  these  spacious  limits,  we  answer  Man  and  Natube  ;  what- 
ever is  performed  by  the  one,  or  produced  by  the  other."  Centenary  Review 
of  the  Asiatic  Society  of  Bengal.     From  1784  to  1885.  Pp.  4 — 5. 

The  Society  originally  met  at  the  Grand  Jury  Kooms  of 
the  Supreme  Court  once  in  every  week.  In  1796  the  pro- 
ject of  providing  a  suitable  house  for  the  Society  was  first 
mooted,  but  it  was  not  until  July  1804  that  the  spot  of 
land  at  the  corner  of  Park  Street,  formerly  a  Eiding  School, 
was  granted  by  the  Government,  and  even  until  1849 
the  Society  had  to  put  up  with  the  existence  of  "the 
establishment  of  a  Police  Thannah  and  Fire  Engine  ' '  on 
what  is  now  the  lawn  before  their  portico.  The  present 
house  was  originally  designed  by  Captain  Lock  of  the  Ben- 
gal Engineers  in  1805.  It  was  completed  in  1806  by  a 
French  builder,  Jean  Jacques  Pichar,  at  the  total  cost  of 
Rs.  30,000.  The  Society  has  never  stinted  the  use  of  its 
rooms  to  the  public.  In  1822  the  Baptist  Missionaries 
from  Serampore  were  permitted  to  give  a  course  of  lectures 
here  on  phrenology  !  For  thirty  years  the  Medical  and 
Physical  Society  of  Calcutta  held  their  meetings  and  had  an 
office  within  these  hospitable  walls.  The  Photographic 
Society  of  India,  until  quite  recently,  had  their  Head  Quar- 
ters in  the  basement,  and  the  Staunton  Chess  Club  used  to 
foregather  at  No.  57,  Park  Street,  even  more  frequently 
than  the  true  and  lawful  proprietors.  To  Lord  Curzon, 
who  has  always  taken  a  very  active  interest  in  the  Society 
and  attended  its  meetings,  the  Society  is  indebted  for 
the  recent  repair  of  its  buildings. 

A  few  years  ago  a  proposal  was  mooted  to  resolve  the 
Asiatic  Society  into  a  "Royal  Society  of  India."  When 
the  Royal  Asiatic  Society  was  founded  in  London  in  1829 
it  condescendingly  offered  its  great-grandmother  the  high 
and  sublime  privilege  of  affiliation.  A  similar  privilege 
had  been  offered  to  a  literary  society  in  Bombay  and 
eagerly  accepted,  but   in  Calcutta  the  Society  preferred 


84  GUIDE    TO    CALCUTTA. 

for   many    years  to    remain    The   Asiatic     Society. 

Society's  librarj',  very  imperfectly  catalogued,  contains  at 
least : 


English  Books  and  MSS. 

.    19,842  Vols 

Arabic 

do. 

.       1,161     „ 

Persian 

do. 

1,506     „ 

Urdu 

do. 

300    „ 

Sanscrit 

do. 

.      3.378    „ 

Do.      Ms. 

(Govt. 

Property) 

2,507    „ 

Tibetan  Xylographs 

256     „ 

Chinese           „ 

350    „ 

Burmese,  Siame 

36,  etc,,  do. 

MSS. 

on  palm  lea 
Total 

ves      125     „ 

.      29,425 

' '  The  early  history  of  the  Oriental  library  is  very  much  the  same  as  that  of 
the  European  one.  The  Society  depended  mainly  on  casual  gifts  from  members, 
and  they  were  not  numerous.  The  first  accession  of  any  importance 
was  a  gift  from  the  Seringapatam  Prize  Oommittee  (February  3rd,  1808).  It 
Included  a  selection  from  the  Library  taken  in  loot  from  the  palace  of  Tipu 
Sultan.  There  were  among  them  many  old  and  rare  works,  including  a  great 
number  of  beautifully  illuminated  manuscripts  of  the  Quran,  and  of  that  part 
of  it  called  Pansurah.  An  exceedingly  well  written  old  text  of  the  Guhstan, 
said  to  be  the  first  copy  from  the  original  manuscript  of  the  author,  and  a 
codex  of  the  Pudshdndmdh  bearing  an  autograph  of  the  Emperor  Shah  Jehan, 

were  amongst  them On  the  aboUtion  of  the  College  of  Fort  William,  the 

whole  of  its  Sanscrit,  Arabian,  Persian,  and  Urdu  works,  mostly  in  manuscript, 
collected  at  great  expense  and  trouble  under  the  superintendence  of  Glad- 
win, Carey,  Gilchrist,  and  other  distinguished  Oriental  scholars,  were  placed 
under  the  custody  of  the  Society "     Review,     etc. 

The  publications  of  the  Society  alone  constitute  a  library 
of  importance,  and  the  names  of  distinguished  members — 
Jones,  Colebrooke,  Wilkins,  Davis,  H.  H.  Wilson,  James 
Prinsep,  D.  H.  Mill,  Brian  Hodgson,  Wallich,  McLelland,— 
to  mention  only  the  ancients,  would  be  sufficient  in  them- 
selves to  render  the  Society  important  in  the  annals  of 
British  learning. 

The  Zoological,  Ethnological,  and  Archaeological  collec- 
tions had  by  1866  outgrown  the  accommodation  the  Society 
could  provide  for  them.  The  Govsrnment,  therefore, 
took  them  over  for  its  then  New  Museum,  offering  the 
Society  free  rooms  at  the  Chowringhi  Museum  in  which  to 
hold  its  meetings.  Unable  to  keep  to  this  promise,  the 
Government  gave  a  lac  and  a  half  of  rupees  to  compensate 
the  Society. 

The  visitor  should  certainly  not  fail  to  inspect  l;he 
Society's  collection  of  oil  paintings  and  busts.     Some  of  the 


freemasons'  hall.  85 

most  important  of  these  have  been  transferred  on  perma- 
nent loan  to  the  Victoria  Memorial  Hall  exhibition. 

"Many  of  the  paintinjrs  are  ako  memorials,  which  the  members  secured,  of 
their  distinguished  collaborateurs ;  the  others  are  of  a  miscellaneous  character, 
and  most  of  them  belonged  at  one  time  to  the  studio  of  Mr.  Hume.  That 
gentleman  was  an  artist,  and  at  the  beginning  of  this  century  lived  for  several 
years  in  Calcutta,  and  took  an  active  interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  Society. 
Subsequently  he  went  up  to  Lucknow  and  made  a  fortune  in  the  service 
of  Ghaziudin  Hyder,  the  then  King  of  Oudh.  During  his  tour  in  Europe  he 
collected  many  rare  pictures,  and  on  his  death  his  two  sons,  who  were 
then  in  active  service  as  officers  in  the  Bengal  Army,  deposited  them  with 
the  Society  on  the  condition  that  should  they  not  be  able  to  remove  the 
collection  within  a  reasonable  time,  it  should  become  the  property  of  the 
Society.  The  sons  died  about  forty  years  ago  [written  in  1885],  and  the 
pictures  accordingly  now  belong  to  the  Society.  ' ' 

Freemasons'  Hall. 

Continuing  our  way  up  Park  Street  we  pass,  on  the  left 
at  No.  56,  the  new  Freemasons'  Hall.  In  remote 
times  the  Provincial  Grand  Lodge  met  at  the  Town  Hall 
or  Assembly  Kooms.  In  1786  it  moved  into  a  habitation 
prepared  for  its  reception  by  a  firm  of  auctioneers,  Messrs. 
Gould  &  Burrell,  over  their  place  of  business  in  Lall  Bazar, 
JHSt  opposite  the  present  Police  Station  and  next  door  to 
a  once  popular  tavern  known  (by  the  name  of  a  fashionable 
musical  society  it  displaced)  as  the  Harmonic.  From  1840 
to  1904  the  Masonic  Head  Quarters  were  at  No.  55,  Bentinck 
Street.  In  the  Banqueting  Hall  there  is  an  interesting 
portrait  of  the  Marques.s  of  Hastings,  who  was  the  first 
and  only  "  Grand  Master  of  all  India." 

At  the  corner  formed  on  the  left  by  Free  School  Street 
and  Park  Street,  we  pass  the  Doveton  College  for  boys. 
In  the  library  there  is  an  oil  painting  of  the  founder — 
Captain  John  Doveton,  of  H.  H.  the  Nizam's  Army. 

"  Doveton  ia  an  illustrious  name,  often  mentioned  in  the  history  of  the 
campaigns  in  Afghanistan,  Mysore,  and  Central  India.  Although  neglected 
by  his  relatives,  .John  belonged  to  this  bouse.  One  of  his  uncles,  however,  on 
making  enquiries  after  a  dead  brother,  found  that  brother's  son,  a  poor  fr'end- 
less  orphan  in  a  charity  school  at  Madras  !  He  succeeded  in  obtaining  for  his 
nephew  a  commission  in  the  Army  of  the  Nizam  of  Hyderabad.  .John's 
service  dated  from  ■2l8t  March,  1817, and,  in  the  7th  Regiment  of  Infantry,  he 
rose  to  be  'Captain  and  Commandant' — a  rank  secondonly  to  that  of  Brigadier. 
The  uncle,  who  had  taken  so  kindly  an  interast  in  him,  died,  and  when  Captain 
Doveton  inherited  from  him  a  large  fortune,  he  forthwith  resigned  his  com- 
mission and  proceeded  to  London,  where  he  passed  away  on  the  15th  October, 
1853.    He  belonged  to  the  Baptist  persuasion,  and  in  his  political  views  was 


86  GUIDE    TO    CALCUTTA. 

an  ultra-radical.  Being  an  Eurasian  by  birth,  he  took  an  interest  In  the 
education  of  his  community  and  bequeathed  his  fortune  of  nearly  £50,000  for 
that  purpose.  This  sum  was  equally  divided  between  the  Parental  Academy 
at  Calcutta  (the  name  of  which  was  thereupon  changed  to  Doveton  College, 
and  to  the  Doveton  Protestant  College  which  was  soon  after  founded  at  Mad- 
ras."— Stark  &  Madge  :  East  Indian  Worthies,  p.  34. 

The  founder  and  first  honorary  secretary  of  the  ' '  Parental 
Academic  llnstitution  "  was  J.  W.  Ricketts,  a  son  of 
Ensign  John  Ricketts  of  the  Bengal  Engineers  and  a  ward 
of  the  Upper  Military  Orphanage  at  Kidderpore.  He  was 
for  some  years  Secretary  to  the  Board  of  Customs,  and  at 
the  time  of  his  death  (July  28th,  1835)  was  Additional  Prin- 
cipal Sudder  Amin  of  Gya.  On  March  31st  he  was  exam- 
ined at  the  bar  of  the  House  of  Lords  by  a  Select  Committee 
on  the  affairs  of  India.  His  portrait  by  Charles  Pote 
will  be  found  in  the  College  Library.  Kyd,  the  founder 
of  the  Kidderpore  Dockyard,  was  another  of  the  Anglo- 
Indian  or  Eurasian  community  interested  in  the  early 
fortunes  of  the  Doveton  College.  Beside  the  Parental 
Institution  this  remarkable  body  of  Anglo-Indians  had  a 
scheme  for  the  reclamation  of  Saugor  Island  and  the 
establishment  there  of  a  fine  sanitarium. 

Camac  Street  which  meets  Park  Street  on  our  right 
commemorates  a  Calcutta  worthy  in  the  days  of  War- 
ren Hastings — William  Camac.  Wood  Street  and  Upper 
Wood  Street  we  are  succinctly  told  by  a  Mr.  A.  K.  Ray  in 
the  Census  of  India,  1901  (Vol.  VIII,  Part  I),  are  named 
after  Mr.  Henry  Wood,  who.  on  the  13th  July,  1818, 
brought  to  the  notice  of  the  Lottery  Committee  "the  in- 
adequate manner  in  which  the  establishment  entertained 
for  the  purpose  performed  its  duty  in  removing  the  filth.'' 

We  now  find  on  our  right  the  portico  of  St.  Xavier's  Col- 
lege— originally  part  and  parcel  of  the  Sans  Souci  Theatre,* 
Nos.  10  and  11  form  the  College,  and  No.  12  is  the  Palace 
of  His  Grace,  the  Roman  Catholic  Archbishop  of  Calcutta. 
No.  46  is  the  New  Club.  In  this  house,  once  occupied 
by  the  Surveyor- General's  Office,  Mr.  William  Meadows 
Farell,  a   distinguished  Bengal  Freemason,  kept  a   school 


*  In  1843  a  sad  fate  befel  the  famous  Calcutta  actress  Mrs.  Leach  when  playing 
at  the  Sans  Souci.  Some  of  her  draperies  came  in  contact  with  a  lamp,  and  the 
unfortunate  woman  was  burned  to  death. 


tiretia'.^  burial  grounds.  87 

for  boys  one  hundred  years  ago.  Among  his  pupils  was 
a  Eurasian  lad,  Dale  Byrne,  who  in  1834  proposed  iu 
the  Christian  Intelligence  a  scheme  for  a  "  Church 
Building  Society."  That  Society,  embodied  in  the 
"  Board  of  Church  Extension,"  still  exists.  Dale  Byrne 
was  buried  in  the  South  Park  Street  Cemetery  in  a 
nameless  grave,  but  a  tablet  to  his  memory  is  to  be  found 
in  the  Old  Mission  Church. 

Loudon  Street,  which  is  passed  on  the  right,  com- 
memorates the  Marchioness  of  Hastings  who  was  Coun- 
tess of  Loudon  in  her  own  right.  In  Wood  Street,  in 
olden  times  "  Hindu  Stuart,"  an  eccentric  Englishman 
who  professed  himself  a  devotee  of  Indian  gods,  and  carried 
his  idols  about  with  hiui,  had  his  museum. 

Proceeding  on  our  way,  we  find  on  our  left  Tiretta's 
Burial  Ground  opened  in  the  year  1796. 

"Tiretta  was,  I  believe,  an  architect  and  land  surveyor,  and  also  I  think 
registrar  of  leases  in  Calcutta;  he  was  wealthy.  His  name  is  still  preserved  in 
that  of  a  bazaar  in  Calcutta.*  There  is  a  quaint  letter  from  him  to  Hastings 
introducing  a  young  lady  who  came  from  England  to  Calcutta:  Miss  Roselyn 
de  Carrion,  '  sister  of  that  unfortunate  and  lovely  consort  which  for  the  space 
of  three  years  has  made  myhappiuess,  and  which  six  months  ago  I  had  the  mis- 
fortune of  losing  for  ever,  leaving  me  a  little  babe  as  a  pledge  of  her  friendship.' 
His  wife  died  in  1796  and  was  buried  in  the  Portuguese  burying-ground,  but 
nearly  two  years  afterwards,  'owing  to  circumstances  too  painful  to  relate,' 
the  widower  had  the  remains  exhumed  and  transferred  to  a  grave  in  a  ceme- 
tery which  he  bought  for  the  purpose,  and  where  her  tomb  is  still  standing. 
Tiretta  presented  the  new  cemetery  called  after  him  (in Park  Street)  to  all 
the  Catholic  Europeans,  or  their  immediate  descendants  dying  in  this  settle- 
ment. On  the  tomb  she  is  described  as  Uxor  Edwardi  de.  Trevise.  It  may  be 
worth  noting  that  'le  jeune  Comte  Tiretta  de  Trevise'  is  the  name  of  one  of 
the  many  boon  companions  whose  unsavoury  exploits  in  the  service  of  Venus 
Casanova  tells  of  in  his  extraordinary  memoirs.  More  noteworthy  stUl  he 
sava,  he  afterwards  went  to  Bengal  and  was  there  in  1788  well  off." — Busteed  : 
Er.hni's  of  Old  Calcutta.     Note  on  pages  297-8. 

The  South  Park  Street  Cemetery. 

We  now  come  to  the  South  Park  Street  Cemetery,  the 
great  Burial  Ground   opened   on  August  the   25th,   1767. 

Most  mournful  of  graveyards  are  those  walled-up  ghastly  settlements, 
desolate  spaces  of  brick  ruins,  and  blotched  plaster,  reproachful  of  forget- 

•  In  the  Chltpur  Road,  established  by  Tiretta  in  about  1788.  "It  yielded," 
writes  Long  "a  monthly  rent  of  Rs.  3,800.  It  was  valued  then  at  two  lakhs, 
and  Tiretta,  having  become  bankrupt,  his  creditors  offered  it  at  that  sum  as  a 
prize  in  a  Lottery."  Calcutta  Review,  Vol.  XVHI,  p.  293.  The  advertisement 
of  the  Lottery  will  be  found  in  Seton-Karr's  Selections  from  Calcutta  Oazettes, 
Vol.  I,  pp.  292-3.  In  1793  Tiretta  was  Senior  Warden  of  Lodge  Industry  with 
Per$evero,nee. 


bo  GUIDE   TO    CALCUTTA. 

fulness  and  neglect.  It  was  difBcult  to  restrain  some  retrospective  pity  for 
the  inmates  of  those  squalid  tenements — for  their  hard,  hot  lives  more  than  a 
hundred  years  ago,  solaced  by  none  of  the  alleviations  which  have  become 
necessaries  of  our  modern  Indian  existence;  with  few  airy  verandahs  or  lofty 
ceilings,  without  punkahs,  without  ice,  without  possibilities  of  change  to  the 
hills,  or  respite  to  their  exile  by  visits  home.  The  mental  stagnation  of  a 
small  society  given  to  arrack  and  heavy  dinners  in  the  heat  of  the  tropical  day. 
and  dependent  for  their  news  of  the  outer  world  on  three  or  four  shipments  a 
year,  produced  a  tedium  vitce  even  harder  to  bear.  'The  waste  of  spirits  in 
this  cursed  country,'  cried  Sir  Philip  Francis,  the  man  of  all  others  best  fitted 
to  bear  up  against  the  malady,  '  is  a  disease  unconquerable,  or  misery  unut- 
terable.' If  the  world  dealt  hardly  with  them  in  life,  it  has  made  no  amends 
to  their  memory.  As  I  thought  of  how  much  they  achieved,  and  how  little 
they  have  been  honoured,  I  found  myself  involuntarily  composing  an  apologia 
for  the  dead." — Sir  W.  Hunter:     The  Thackerays  in  India,  pp.  10 — 11. 

Sir  W.  Hunter  has  pointed  out  that  the  South  Park 
Street  Burial  Ground,  '  'that  Aceldama  of  ancient  animo- 
sities" supplies  the  necrology  of  the  first  or  Calcutta  Act 
of  the  long  Drama  of  the  feud  between  Hastings  and 
Francis  which  resulted  from  the  blundering  folly  which, 
in  appointing  Hastings  to  rule  in  the  joint  interest  of  the 
Crown  and  Company,  sent  out  a  Council  to  override  him 
by  a  majority  of  votes.  Sir  John  Clavering,  the  new 
Commander-in-Chief,  Colonel  Monson,  and  Sir  P.  Francis, 
as  we  have  described  elsewhere,  arrived  in  Calcutta  in 
October  1774.  The  Colonel  lost  his  wife  in  September, 
1776,  and  he  himself,  unable  from  the  first  to  bear  up 
against  the  cUmate,  was  carried  hither  a  year  later. 

"The  Lady  Anne  Monson  felt  that  she  was  much  too  good  for  Indian 
Society,  being  in  fact  a  daught€r''of  the  Eari  of  Darlington,  and  a  great  grand- 
daughter of  Charles  II.  by  Barbara  V^lliers.  But  she  consoled  herself  for  her 
uncourtly  surroundings  by  whist  parties  that  led  the  fashion  in  Calcutta. 
She  was  herself  a  superior  player,  and  it  was  at  her  house  Francis  began  his 
whist  winnings,  which,  as  he  tells  a  friend  in  1776,  'on  one  blessed  dayof  the 
present  year  of  our  Lord'  amounted  tc  £20,000.  It  was  Lady  Anne,  too,  who 
set  afloat  the  story  that  Warren  Hastings*  was  the  natural  son  of  <•)  steward 
of  her  father." — Sir  W.  Hunter:  op.  cit,  pp.  18 — 19. 

The  Colonel  died  at  Hooghly  just  seven  months  after 
his  wife.  Monson  had  served  bravely  both  in  the  wars  in 
the  Carnatic  and  in  Draper's  expedition  against  Manila. 
He  and  his  wife  lie  in  nameless  graves  near  the  path. 
West  of  the  grave  of  General  Clavering. 

•  Sir  Wm.  Hunter  well  saya  "Nor  was  her  slander  more  audacious  than  the 
falsehood  to  which  Macaulay  has  put  the  seal  of  history."  Macaulay  informs  us 
that  Hastings'  father,  "  an  idle  worthless  boy,  married  before  he  was  sixteen,  lost 
bis  wife  in  two  years,  and  died  in  the  West  Indies. ' ' 


RAWDON    STREET. 


Z 


D 


i_ 


ENTRANCE 


N.-W.  Corner  South  Park  Street  Cemetery. 


Mrs.  M.  KiNSEY  10. 

Col.  George  Monson  (unnamed),  11. 

Lady  Anne  Vane  Monson  (unnamed).  12. 

Ann,    Henrietta,    Edward    Collins  13. 

and  Jane  Marriott  Chambers.  14. 

Edward  Wheler.  15. 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Barwell  (unnamed).  16. 

George  Horst.  17. 

Sir  John  Claverino,  k.c.b.  18. 

Charles  Stafford  Playdell  19. 

(Ist  Commissioner  of  Police,  1779.) 


Mrs.  A.  Wedderburn. 

John  Sampson. 

Dr.  Rowland  Jackson. 

Warren  Hastings  Larkins. 

Capt.  Robert  Samuel  Fielder. 

Augustus  Cleveland. 

Sir  Alexander  Seton,  Bar. 

Major-General  John  Garstin. 

Col.  Thomas  Deane  Peakse. 

(Nameless  Grave.) 


ROSK     AYLMER.  89 

The  General  followed  his  colleague  to  the  shades 
scarcely  a  year  later.  "Clavering  was  the  real  hero  of 
Guadelope,"  wrote  Horace  Walpole,  "he  has  come  home 
with  more  laurels  than  a  boar's  head."  A  recently  pub- 
lished letter  of  Charles  Grant's  gives  a  memorable  illus- 
tration of  the  General's  temper  :  this  letter  will  be 
found  in  our  account  of  the  Budge  Budge  Road.  Before 
departing  for  India,  he  had  challenged  even  the  great 
Duke  of  Richmond,  and  the  challenge  had  produced  an 
apology  which  satisfied  even  the  pugnacious  Clavering. 

"To  the  memoryof  SiE  JohnClaveeing,  Knight  of  the  Most  Hon'bleOrder 
of  the  Bath,  Lieutenant-General  in  His  Britannic  Majesty's  Service,  and 
Colonel  of  the  52nd  Regiment  of  Foot ;  Second  in  the  Supreme  Council  of  Fort 
William  in  Bengal:  and  Commander-in-Chief  of  all  the  Company's  Forces  in 
India.  Died  August  30th,  1777,  in  the  55th  year  of  his  age,  and  was  interred 
here." 

A  tablet  of  black  marble  set  beneath  a  white  fluted 
column  bears  the  inscription : — 

In  memory  of  The  Honorable  Rose  Whitwoeth  Aylmee,  who  de- 
parted this  life,  March  the  2nd,  A.  D.  1800  ;   aged  20  years. 

What  was  her  fate?  Long  long  before  her  hour. 

Death  called  her  tender  soul,  by  break  or  bliss. 

From  the  first  blossoms,  from  the  buds  of  joy; 
Those  few  our  noxious  fate  unblasted  leaves; 

In  this  inclement  clime  of  human  life.* 

The  friendship  between  Walter  Savage  Landor  and  Rose 
Aylmer  commenced  when,  after  his  brief  and  troubled 
career  at  Oxford,  the  young  poet  met  with,  and  was 
received  on  intimate  terms,  by  Lord  Aylmer  and  his  family 
at  a  secluded  village  on  the  Welsh  Coast.  Landor  was 
then  but  twenty-one,  and  Rose  then  but  sixteen. 

"When  the  buds  began  to  burst 

Long  ago  with  Rose  the  first, 

I  was  walking  joyous  then. 

Far  above  all  other  men. 

Till  before  us  up  there  stood 

Britonferry's   oaken  wood 
Whispering  happy  as  thou  art 
Happiness  and  thou  must  part." 
Landor  :     The  Three  Roses. 

After  the  second  marriage  of  her  mother.  Rose  left 
England  to  stay  with  her  Aunt  Lady  Russell,  wife  of  Sir 

'  Young's  Night  Thoughts. 


90  GUIDE    TO    CALCUTTA. 

Henry  Russell,  then  one  of  the  Puisne  Judges  and  after- 
wards Chief  Justice.    Wrote  Landor — 

^  "  Where  is  she  now?  Called  far  away 

By  one  she  dared  not  disobey. 
To  those  proud  halls  for  youth  unfit. 
Where  princes  stand  and  judges  sit. 
Where  Ganges  rolls  his  widest  wave 
She  dropped  her  blossom  in  the  grave; 
Her  noble  name  she  never  changed 
Nor  was  her  nobler  heart  estranged. ' ' 

During  an  hour  of  sleeplessness  Landor  wrote  the  elegy 
which  enshrines  in  a  casket  of  pearl  the  name  of  Rose 
Aylmer. 

'  Ah  !  what  avails  the  sceptred  race  ! 

Ah  !  what  the  form  divine  ! 
What  every  virtue,  every  grace  ! 

Rose  Aylmer,  all  were  thine. 
Rose  Aylmer,  whom  these  wakeful  eyes 

May  weep,  but  never  see. 
A  night  of  memories  and  of  sighs. 

I  consecrate  to  thee. ' '  * 

Twelve  years  later  the  body  of  James  Thomas  Aylmer, 
Rose's  brother,  was  consigned  to  a  Calcutta  tomb. 

No  grave  in  the  South  Park  Street  Cemetery  should 
be  more  revered  than  the  one  in  which  rest  the  mortal 
remains  of  that  great  and  good  man — Sir  William  Jones. 
When  he  and  his  wifet  arrived  in  Calcutta  in  September 
1783,  his  reputation  as  an  orientalist  had  preceded  him, 
and  he  at  once  took  the  leadership  of  the  scholars  whose 
visions  of  what  Oriental  learning  might  have  in  store  for 
them  was  still  undimmed  by  the  disappointments  await- 
ing later  inquirers.  From  1783  to  his  death  in  1794  he 
was  a  Puisne  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court. 

"During  the  sittings  of  the  Court,  he  lived  at  Garden  Reach.  He  walked 
every  morning  from  his  house  to  his  chambers.J  a  distance  of  three  or  four 
miles,  so  as  to  reach  the  latter  place  before  the  first  appearance  of  the  sun. 
There  he  spent  three  or  four  hours  in  close  study  {before  the  opening  of  the 


*  "  I  have  just  seen  Charles  and  Mary  Lamb  living  in  absolute  solitude  at 
Enfield.  I  found  your  poems  lying  open  before  Lamb."  He  is  ever  muttering 
'  Rose  Aylmer."  Crabbe  Robinson. 

t  A  daughter  of  Bishop  Shipley  of  St.  Asaph,  and  consequently  the  aunt  of 
Bishop  Heber's  wife,  who  was  a  daughter  of  Dean  Shipley,  the  Bishop's  son. 

t  In  the  "  new  Court  House  "  on  the  site  of  the  present  High  Court.  The 
Garden  Reach  House  of  Sir  W.  Jones  is  probably  one  of  those  which  have 
recently  been  destroyed  to  admit  of  the  extension  of  the  Docks. 


SIR   WILLIAM   JONES.  91 

Court.  After  his  labours  on  the  bench  were  over  he  seems  regularly  to  have 
retired  with  his  Pandits*  for  the  furtherance  of  his  great  work  on  Hindu  law 
and  the  evening  he  spent  in  the  reading  with  Lady  Jones  of  books  in  all 
modern  European  languages  and  in  playing  chess.  Every  third  month,  how- 
ever, this  plan  was  suspended  by  the  necessity  of  spending  his  evenings  in  the 
Loll  Bazaar  in  order  to  be  in  readiness  to  issue  warrants  for  the  apprehension 
of  drunkards  !  The  Court  sat  for  eight  months  in  the  year,  and  the  other 
four,  with  the  exception  of  this  month  of  duty  as  Justice  of  the  Peace  in 
the  Loll  Bazaar,  he  spent  the  first  year  in  a  trip  to  Benares,  the  second  on 
a  visit  to  Chittagong,  and  the  subsequent  years  at  a  cottage  in  the 
District  of  Krishnagur,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Nudiya.  Here,  away 
from  the  strife  of  plaintiff  and  defendant,  his  mind  went  forth  unrestrained 
on  the  pursuits  that  were  dearest  to  it.  The  earnest  investigation  of 
Sanscrit  lore,  the  study  of  botany  and  the  conduct  of  literary  and  scientific 
correspondence  never  left  him  a  vacant  hour  and  frequently  called  forth 
from  him  the  acknowledgement  that  but  for  one  abatement,  he  was  as 
happy  as  it  was  possible  or  perhaps  proper,  tor  any  man  to  be  in  this 
world."— Calciitta  Review,  Vol.  VI,  pp.   207—8. 

Sir  William  had  hoped  to  rejoin  his  wife,  who  after 
constant  illness,  had  been  invalided  home,  but  the  con- 
scientious desire  to  complete  his  work  on  Hindu  Law, 
which  required  the  co-operation  of  his  Pandits,  kept  him 
in  Calcutta  until  it  was  too  late. 

"On  the  20th  Aprd  1794,  he  called  on  the  Governor-General,  Sir  John 
Shore  (Lord  Teignmouth),  and  told  him  that  he  felt  indisposed,  and  was 
returning  home  to  take  some  medicine.  He  seems  to  have  been  more 
severely  affected  than  he  supposed  (a  thrice-told  tale  in  Indian  biography) 
and  his  medical  attendant  was  not  called  for  several  days.  On  the  27th, 
Sir  John  Shore  was  sent  for,  and  reached  his  home  just  in  time  to  see  him  die. 
He  was  lying  on  his  bed  in  a  posture  of  meditation  ;  and  the  only  symptom 
of  remaining  life  was  a  small  degree  of  motion  in  the  heart-which,  after  a 
few  seconds  ceased,   and  he  expired  without  a  pang  or  groan." — Ihid. 

An  early  occupant  of  the  Bench  of  the  Supreme  Court, 
in  fact  one  of  the  first  to  be  appointed,  hes  here  also — 
Sir  John  Hyde.  The  Judges  of  the  Supreme  Court  were, 
as  we  have  seen,  also  justices  of  the  peace — "an  objec- 
tionable arrangement,"  Dr.  Busteed  well  remarks, 
"which  involved  the  eventual  trial  of  a  prisoner  at  the 
assizes  by  a  judge  who  had  already  come  to  a  conclusion 
as  to  his  guilt."  Thus  Mr.  Justice  Le  Maistre,  on  May 
6th,  1775,  as  sitting  Magistrate,  with  the  assistance  of 
Hyde  heard  the  evidence  and  committed  Nuncomar 
for  trial,  and  both  of    them  sat  with   the  Chief  Justice, 


*  To  Pundit  Ram  Lochan,  a  Vaidya,   he  paid  Rs.   500  a  month  for  lessons  in 
,    Sanskrit. 


92  GUIDE    TO    CALCUTTA. 

Sir  Elijah  Iinpey,  and  Justice  Chambers,  when  this  famous 
case  came  up  at  the  Assizes,  Hyde  died  in  office  after  21 
years'  service  at  the  age  of  39.  He  and  his  wife  were 
noted  for  the  hospitaUty  which  they  dispensed  from  a 
house,  rented  at  Rs.  1,200  a  month,  where  the  Town  Hall 
now  stands. 

Sir  Robert  and  Lady  Chambers  are  best  known  to  us 
from  certain  oft-quoted  passages  in  Boswell's  Lije  of 
Johnson.  Two  of  their  infant  children  are  buried  here, 
and  a  little  son  who  perished  in  the  shipwreck  of  the 
Grosvenor  off  the  West  Coast  of  Africa  in  August  1782. 

"  In  the  Calcutta  cemeteries,  as  in  our  station  graveyards  throughout 
Bengal,  the  tiny  graves  rise  close.  The  price  has  always  been  paid  in  the 
lives  of  little  children.  To  many  of  the  early  fathers  of  Calcutta  the  curse 
on  the  re-builder  of  Jericho  came  literally  home.  'He  shall  lay  the  founda- 
tion thereof  on  his  first  born  and  in  his  youngest  son  shall  be  set  up  the 
gates  of  it.'  In  the  same  South  Park  Street  graveyard  each  general  or  one 
of  the  Baleys  during  the  first  half  of  the  century  laid  a  child,  one  of  them 
burying  two  infant  sons  within  two  years." — Sir  W.  Hunter,  op.  cit.,  pp.  61 
and  62.* 

The  tomb  of  Richard  Becher  is  worthy  of  a  visit. 
He  has  been  described  "as  the  only  Englishman  who, 
amid  calamity  and  misrepresentation,  really  strove  to 
grapple  with  the  great  famine  of  1770."  Two  of  his 
sons  came  out  to  Bengal  in  1781  to  join  the  Civil  Service, 
and  the  daughter  of  one  of  these  sons — John — became 
the  wife  of  Richmond  Thackeray  and  mother  of  William 
Makepeace  Thackeray.  The  inscription  on  the  grave  of 
Thackeray's  great-grandfather  at  least  suggests  that  from 
the  grand  sorrow-broken  Civil  Servant  the  novelist  derived 
the  insight  which  produced  Colonel  Newcome  : 

"  Sacred  to  the  memory  of  an  honest  man  !  This  humble  stone  records 
ye  name  and  Fate  (the  latter  alas  how  unequal  to  his  worth  !). of  Richard 
Becher,  Esq.,  late  member  of  ye  Board  of  Trade,  and  once  of  ye  Council  of 
this  Presidency,  Thro'  a  long  life  pass'd  in  the  service  of  ye  Company,  what 
his  conduct  was  the  annals  of  ye  Company  will  show.  On  this  tablet 
sorrowing  friendship  tells,  that  having  reach'd,jn  a  modest  independence, 
what  he  deem'd  the  honorable  reward  of  a  life  of  service,  to  enjoy  it.  He 
return' d,  in  ye  year  1771,  to  his  Native  Land  where  private  esteem  and 
public  confidence  awaited,  but  where  Misfortune  also  overtook,  him.  By 
Nature  open,  hberal  and  compassionate.  Unpractised  in  Guile  himself,  and 
not  suspecting  it  in  others.  To  prop  ye  declining  credit  of  a  friend,  He  was 


*  There  is  a  pathetic  interest  in  this  passage  for  all  those  who  have  read  Sir 
W.  Hunter's  Life  and  recall  the  loss  in  India  of  hi<  little  child  Brian. 


CLEVHILANI'.  93 

led  to  put  his  all  to  hazard,  and  fell  the  Victim  of  his  own  benevolence. 
After  a  short  Pause  and  agonizing  Conflict  Roused  by  domestic  Claims  to 
tresh  exertions  in  1781,  he  returned  to  ye  Scene  of  his  earlier  Efforts.  But 
ve  vigour  of  life  was  passed,  and  seeing  thro'  ye  Calamity  of  ye  Times,  his 
prospects  darken  in  ye  hopeless  efforts  to  re-erect  ye  Fortunes  of  his  Family, 
Under  ye  pang  of  Disappointment  and  ye  Pressure  of  ye  Climate,  a  worn 
Mind  and  debilitated  Body,  Sunk  to  Rest.  Unerring  Wisdom  ordained  that 
his  reward  should  not  be  of  this  World,  and  removed  him  to  an  Eternity  of 
Happiness."     17th  November,  1782.     ^tatis  Suae.  Q\. 

Augustus  Cleveland  is  a  name  remembered  by  but  a 
tew  of  his  countrymen,  but  for  a  century  and  more  the 
memory  of  the  just  administrator  who,  to  borrow  the 
words  of  the  epitaph,  "accomphshed,  by  a  system  of 
conciliation  "  what  could  never  be  accomplished  by 
coercion  was  reverenced  by  the  half -savage  hillmen 
uf  Rajmahal.  At  the  early  age  of  29  he  died,  January 
12th  on  board  the  Atlas*  when  proceeding  to  the  Cape 
tor  the  recovery  of  his  health.  "His  remains,"  says 
the  inscription,  "preserved  in  spirits,  were  brought  up 
to  town  in  the  pilot  sloop." 

'"Within  sight  of  the  room  he  occupied  in  Mr.  ISiesbit's  house,  stood  the 
Hindu  mut,  erected  to  the  memory  of  Mr.  Cleveland  (sic) — a  monument,  at 
once  recording  the  popularity  that  aimiable  man  had  acquired,  and  the  grate- 
ful feelings  the  native  population  were  eager  to  evince  for  the  kind  considera- 
tion with  which  he  treated  them."  [At  Bhaghulpur]. — Brief  Memoirs  of 
Bishop  James,  p.  166. 

On  his  left,  as  he  wanders  up  the  pathway  from  the 
entrance  to  the  Cemetery,  the  reader  will  find  the  tomb 
of  one  whom  Burke  described  as  Hastings'  "supple,  worn 
down,  beaten,  cowed,  and,  I  am  afraid,  bribed  colleague," 
Mr.  Wheler.  Appointed  by  the  Directors  to  take  Hast- 
ings' place  in  1777  when  the  great  Pro-Consul's  resigna- 
tion was  expected,  Wheler  succeeded  the  pugnacious 
Clavering  on  that  worthy's  death.  On  April  the  8th, 
1784,  Wheler  "gave  a  public  breakfast  at  the  Old  Court 
House,"  after  which,  the  Governor- General  being  absent 
at  Manickpoor,  the  party  proceeded  to  the  site  of 
St.  John's  Church,  where  the  first  stone  was  laid  in 
solemn  form.f 

Among  other  eminent  Civil  Servants  lie  here  Henry 
Vansitart  (died  October  1, 1786),  the  "ubiquitous"  William 

•  Mrs.  Warren  Hastings  was  on  board. 

♦  Cf.  Seton-Karr  :  Selections  from  Calcutta  Gazettes,  Vol.  1,  p.  12  and  p.  27. 


94  GUIDE    TO    CALCUTTA. 

Archibald  Edmondstone  (died  1803),  George  Richard  Foley, 
Robert  Ker,  Sir  John  Hadley,  D'Oyly  and  Henry  Daven- 
port Shakespeare. 

Here  lie,  distinguished  for  valour  or  arduous  service, 
Lt.-Col.  Robert  Bruce,  Major  Peter  Lewis  Grant,  Lt.- 
Genl.  Sir  John  Macdonald,  Col.  Sir  James  Morrat, 
Col.  Thos.  Bruce,  Major-Genl.  John  Garstin,  r.e.,  and 
Col.  Thomas  Dunne  Pearse,  known  to  fame  as  Hastings' 
second  in  the  duel  with  Francis,  but  worthier  of  wider 
and  more  enduring  renown  as  "the  Father  of  the  Ben- 
gal Artillery."  To  Col.  Pearse's  memory  stands  a  tall 
column — much  needing  the  attention  of  the  P.  W.  D — in 
the  compound  of  Dum  Dum  Church. 

Close  to  the  entrance  lie  the  remains  of  the  "Patriarch" 
of  the  "Five  Evangelical  Chaplains" — David  Brown,  a 
name  which  must  occupy  a  conspicuous  place  in  the  his- 
tory  of   Christian    missions   in    Bengal. 

Alexander  Colvin,  buried  here  in  1818,  about  1778 
established  in  Calcutta  a  business  later  known  as  Colvin, 
Ainslie  and  Cowie.  To  his  memory  brother  merchants 
placed  a  marble  monument  executed  by  Westmacott,  in 
St.  John's  Church.  A  younger  brother,  James,  joined 
him  some  years  later.  John  Russell  Colvin,  the  last  Lieu- 
tenant-Governor of  the  N.-W.  Provinces  under  the  Com- 
pany, was  the  son  of  James.  In  a  life  of  his  father,  John 
Russell  Colvin,  Sir  Auckland  Colvin,  k.c.s.i.,  k.c.m.g., 
C.I.E.,  lately  Lieutenant-Governor  of  the  N.-W.  Pro- 
vinces, has  sketched  the  life  of  his  family  in  their  house 
in  Hastings  Street  a  century  and  more  ago. 

A  tomb  modelled  from  a  Hindu  temple  covers  the 
remains  of  Major-General  Stuart  (died  March  31,  1828) 
otherwise  known  as  "Hindu   Stuart." 

The  North  Park  Strket  Cemetery. 

On  leaving  the  South  Park  Street  Burial  Ground  we 
cross  over  the  road  and  enter  the  North  Park  Street  Ceme- 
tery which  dates  from  the  year  1796  or  1797. 

The  graves  most  perhaps  worthy  of  attention  are  these  : 

Thomas    Henry    Graham,    ' '  who    fell    gloriously   in    an 

action  between  the  Hon'ble    E.  L  Company's   ship    Kent 


OLD    TOMBS.  95 

and  a  French  Privateer  in  the  mouth  of  the  Ganges  on 
the  7th  October,  1700,  the  day  on  which  he  completed 
his  sixteenth  year." 

Lieut. -Genl.  James  Achilles  Kirkpatrick. — Died  at  Cal- 
cutta, 1805,  aged  41  years. 

The  soldier  political  who  negotiated  Lord  Wellesley's  treaty  with  the 
Xizam,  which  demolished  the  French  power  and  made  our  own  supreme  in 
.Southern  India." — C.  R.  Wilson:  Lifit  of  Inscriptions  or  Monuments  in 
Bengal,  p.  92. 

Richmond    TAacA"em«/.— Expired    on    Sept.  13th,    1815. 

His  son,  William  Makepeace,  born  in  Calcutta  on  the 
18th  July,  1811,  when  Richmond  Thackeray  was  Sec- 
retary to  the  Board  of  Revenue.  The  inscription  is  as 
follows  : — 

''To  the  memory  of  Richmond  Thackeray, E.sq., late  on  the  Bengal  Estab- 
lishment of  the  Honourable  East  India  Company,  who  expired  on  the  13th 
September  1806,  at  tl^e  premature  age  of  32  years  10  months  and  23  days. 

To  the  best  endowments  of  the  understanding  and  to  the  purest  principles 
in  public  life,  he  united  all  the  social  and  tender  affections  under  the  influence 
of  these  moral  and  intellectual  qualities  he  ever  maintained  the  character  of  a 
public  officer  with  the  highest  degree  of  credit  to  himself  and  discharged  in  a 
manner  not  less  exemplary  the  duties  which  devolved  upon  liim  in  the  several 
relations  of  private  life.  To  transmit  to  prosperity  a  memorial  of  these  virtues 
the  present  monument  has  been  erected  by  those  who  had  the  best  means  of 
contemplating  tlie  habitual  exercise  of  them  in  the  varied  character  of  a  son, 
a  brother,  a  husband,  a  father,  and  a  friend. ' ' 

William  Pitt  Must  on.  Surgeon  of  the  Bengal  Estab- 
lishment and  Apothecary  to  the  Hon'ble  East  India  Co., 
died  July  30,  1837.  "The  Inventor  of  the  Army  dooly, 
who  after  a  life  of  noble  humanity,  obtained  a  slow 
redress  against  local  injustice  from  the  Court  of  Directors, 
but  he  returned  to  India  only  to  hear  of  the  fall  of  his 
son,  and  to  sink  into  the  grave."  His  wife  followed 
him  to  the  same  grave  two  years  later. 

Leaving  the  two  old  graveyards,  we  soon  find  ourselves 
:n  the  Circular  Road.  It  will  be  convenient  to  give  here 
the  history  of  this  road  which  forms  a  bow-shaped  boun- 
dary to  Calcutta  proper  with  the  river  as  its  string. 
During  the  early  forties  of  the  eighteenth  century  the 
good  folk  of  Calcutta,  natives  as  well  as  Europeans,  were 
living  in  a  constant  state  of  panic  on  the  score  of  a 
possible  raid  of  the  Mahrattas.     To    protect  themselves. 


1 


96  GUIDE    TO    CALCUTTA. 

in  1742,  the  inhabitants,  aided  by  a  grant  of  Rs.  25,000 
from  the  Council,  dug  out  a  long  ditch  known  as  the 
Mahratta  Ditch.  Starting  at  Chitpur — "Perrin's  Point" — 
the  ditch  wound  its  way  in  a  circular  direction  south- 
ward, making  a  detour  to  protect  the  garden  houses  of 
two  wealthy  natives  (Omichund  and  Govindra  Mitra). 
The  panic  wore  off  before  the  ditch  was  completed,  which 
is  now  approximately  represented  by  the  Circular  Canal.* 
An  old  writer  informs  us  that  "the  earth  excavated  in 
forming  the  ditch,  was  so  disposed  on  the  inner  or  town- 
ward  side,  as  to  form  a  tolerably  high  road,  along  the 
margin  of  which  was  planted  a  row  of  trees,  and  this  con- 
stituted the  most  frequent  and  fashionable  part  about 
the  town."  In  Apjohn's  map  of  1794  the  present  Cir- 
cular Road  is  clearly  defined,  and  the  ditch  also  appears 
as  far  to  the  South  as  Lall  Bazar  Street.  Southwards  to 
Park  Street  the  ditch  seems  to  have  been  "  chiefly  filled 
up  by  depositing  the  filth  of  the  town  into  it." 

To  save  ourselves  another  journey,  we  will  turn  to  the 
left  on  leaving  Park  Street  and  pay  a  brief  visit  to 

The  Lower  Circular   Road  Cemetery. 

The  contrast  between  the  ambitious  pyramids  and 
columns  of  the  old  graveyards  and  the  modest  crosses 
and  tombstones  of  the  present  pubUc  Burial  Ground  repre- 
sents a  chapter  in  the  religious  history  of  our  race.  As 
we  step  across  Circular  Road  we  transfer  ourselves  into  a 
new  religious  atmosphere.  The  Lower  Circular  Burial 
Ground  was  opened  on  April  29th,  1840.  Despite  a 
recent  extension  the  space  will  soon  be  exhausted,  and 
the  Corporation  accordingly  decided  to  provide  a  new 
Burial  Ground  at  a  considerable  distance  from  the  town — 
a  measure,  which,  if  justified  by  sanitary  science,  will 
certainly  prove  an  untold  hardship  for  the  poor. 

The  Lower  Circular  Road  Cemetery  contains  some 
graves  of  interest : 

Sir  W.  U.  Macnagkten,  Bart.,  of  the  Bengal  Civil 
Service,  Envoy  to  the   Court   of  Cabul  and  Governor  of 

•  Begun  in  1S24  finished  in  1834,  at  a  cost  of  Rs.  1,443,407. 


OLD    TOMBS.  97 

Bombay,  who  fell  by  the  hand  of  an  assassin  in  the 
insurrection  of  Cabul  on  the  23rd  day  of  December  1841, 
in  the  48th  year  of  his  age. 

James  Charles  ColebrooJc  Sutherland. — Died  February 
1st,  1844,  aged  51  years.  A  man  great  in  Oriental  studies. 
"I  should  be  sorry  to  say  anything  disrespectful  of  that 
liberal  and  generous  enthusiasm  for  Oriental  literature 
which  appears  in  Mr.  Sutherland's  Minute"  was  Macau- 
lay's  polite  sneer. 

James  Wilson. — Died  August  Uth,  1860  A  distin- 
guished Financier. 

John  Paxton  Norman. — Officiating  Chief  Justice  of 
Bengal.  Assassinated  by  a  Wahabee  on  the  steps  of  the 
Town  Hall  on  September  21st,  1871. 

John  Blessington  Roberts. — Died  May  5th,  1880.  He  rose 
from  a  Police  Constable  to  Presidency  Magistrate,  from 
Tyler  to  District  Grand   Master. 

Sir    John  Woodburn. — Lieutenant-Governor  of  Bengal. 

We  will  now,  on  leaving  the  Lower  Circular  Road  Ceme- 
tery, turn  to  our  left,  and  wander  down  the  Lower  Cir- 
cular Road. 

The  Kurria  Road  on  the  left  leads  to  the  little  Scotch 
Cemetery  or  "  Dissenters'  Burial-Ground.  "  At  least 
two  distinguished  officers  Ue  buried  there — Lt.-Col. 
Mactier,  c.  b.,  and  Major  Samuel  Charters  Macpherson, 
Political  Agent  at  Gwalior,  who  ' '  through  years  of  sick- 
ness and  under  extraordinary  difficulties,  induced  many 
of.theKhond  Tribes  of  Orissa  to  abandon  the  rite  of 
human  sacrifice."  To  Macpherson's  influence  the 
loyalty  of  that  important  chief,  the  Maharaja  Scindia 
of  Gwalior  in  the  critical  year  of  1857  is  attributed. 
The  Cemetery  contains  a  monument  to,  but  not  the 
remains  of.  Sir  George  Welsh  Kellner,  Finance  Minister  in 
Cyprus. 

The  turning  into  Theatre  Road*  is  reached  on  our  right. 
This  road  is  marked    but    not  named,  in  Apjohn's  map 


*  For  the  congested  state  of  Theatre  iioad  and  Alipore  we  have  to  be  grateful 
to  the  Municipality  who  allow  the  natural  extension  of  European  Calcutta  to  be 
blocked  by  the  careful  preservation  of  filthy  bazdrs,  open  drains,  stagnant 
pools,  in  a  district  which,  as  it  is  in  the  South,  should  be  one  of  the  lungs  of 
Calcutta 

F,  GO  7 


98  GUIDE    TO    CALCUTTA. 

of  1794.  The  name  is  derived  from  a  private  Theatre 
established  here  for  an  Amateur  Dramatic  Society  by  the 
famous  Sanscrit  scholar,  Horace  Hayman  Wilson.  In 
the  course  of  the  last  three  or  four  years,  the  native  huts 
in  Theatre  Road  have  been  gradually  swept  away,  and 
in  their  places  have  sprung  up  a  number  of  Calcutta 
"palaces"  clearly  intended  to  be  "let  in  flats."  These 
grand  new  houses  are  built  much  too  closely  together, 
few  of  them  are  graced  by  gardens,  and  in  some  cases 
the  curve  allowed  for  the  drive  is  so  sharp  that  a  faint- 
hearted Jehu  would  prefer  to  leave  his  vehicle  in  the 
street.  Cyclists  should  beware  of  Theatre  Road  and 
its  adjuncts  in  the  dark,  for  syces  leading  their  horses 
(and  on  the  wrong  side  of  them)  abound,  and  the  street 
lighting  is  inadequate. 

Bishop's  College. 

On  our  left,  where  the  Lower  Circular  Road  bends 
to  the  west,  in  the  corner  we  find  Bishop's  College. 
Of  the  early  history  of  this  Institution,  and  the  mag- 
nificent designs  of  its  founder,  we  have  spoken  on  another 
page.     The  present  buildings  consist  of — 

1.  The  Chapel — planned  as  a  small  basiUca.  It  has  a  fine  marble  Altar 
erected  as  a  thank-ofifering  for  the  work  of  the  present  Bishop  of  Madras 
(Dr.  Whitehead)  in  the  days  when  he  was  Principal  of  the  College.  The 
Altar  is  situated  at  the  cord  of  the  Apse.  The  Chapel  was  dedicated  by 
Bishop  Welldon  in  1900  during  the  session  of  the   Episcopal  Synod. 

2.  The  Principal's  and  Professor's  House.  In  the  central  Sitting  Room 
there  is  an  interesting  portrait  of  Dr.  Mill,  the  greatest  scholar,  who  was  the 
first  Principal. 

3.  The  Library  and  Lecture  Rooms.  The  Library  presents  the  sad  spec- 
tacle of  a  really  fine  collection  of  books  and  manuscripts  falling  into  a  com- 
plete condition  of  ruin. 

4.  The  Students'  Quarters. 

5.  A  Day  School. 

Bishop's  College  is  bounded  on  the  West  by  Ballygunge 
Circular  Road.  To  follow  up  this  road  would  be  to  find 
ourselves  in  the  suburb  of  Ballygunge.  Cool  and  pleas- 
ant residences  for  Europeans  fringe  an  open  maidan,  but 
the  jungle  on  the  South  has  not  been  sufficiently  con- 
trolled to  render  Ballygunge  as  desirable  as  it  might 
doubtless  be  made.  In  the  maidan  are  the  lines  of  the 
Viceroy's  Body-Guard.     In  the  Ballygunge  Circular  Road 


Martiniere  Boys'  School. 


< 


THE    MARTINIERE.  99 

there   is   an   excellent    Industrial    School   conducted    by 
the  Brethren  of  the   Oxford  Mission. 

The  Martiniere. 

We  now  find  on  our  right  two  of  the  principal  English 
educational  institutions  of  Bengal — the  Boys'  and  the 
Girls'  Martiniere  Colleges.  A  brief  account  of  the 
founder  will  be  expected  in  this  place.  Until  quite 
recently  it  has  been  the  general  belief  that-Claud  Martin 
was  a  young  French  soldier  who  deserted  from  Lally's 
Body-Guard  during  the  Siege  of  Pondicherry  in  1760. 
Mr.  S.  C.  Hill  in  his  Life  of  Claud  Martin,  a  work  of  pro- 
found research,  has  shown  that  Martin  was  a  very  common 
name  in  the  French  Army,  and  that  historians,  serious 
or  gossiping,  have  hitherto  confused  our  Claud  Martin 
with  two  other  Martins,  who  had  been  "very  badly  treated 
by  Mr.  Lally,"  were  received  by  Eyre  Coote  and 
granted  commissions.  Claud  Martin,  it  seems,  came  to 
the  EngUsh,  not  as  a  deserter,  but  as  prisoner  of  war. 
He  was  temporarily  placed  in  charge  of  a  detachment 
of  his  fellow-prisoners,  but  on  the  condition  that  he  would 
not  be  required  to  fight  against  his  own  countrymen  if 
the  ship  conveying  the  detachment  to  Mauritius  were 
attacked.  Owing  to  foul  weather,  the  ship  came  back  to 
port. 

"  "Peace  came  to  put  an  eud  to  all  hopes  of  distinction  in  the  French  Service 
in  India,  realising  that  his  roturier  birth  would  always  drag  him  down  if  he 
returned  to  France,  this  man,  who  if  born  a  quarter  of  a  century  later,  might 
have  been  one  of  the  heroes  of  the  French  Revolution,  saw  that  his  wisest 
course  was  to  take  service  with  the  English.  An  officer  of  birth  might  have 
objected  to  such  a  course,  but  his  objection  would  have  been  one  of  sentiment 
and  not  of  honour.  Martin  came  to  the  English  from  a  gallant  regiment, 
with  unblemished  character,  with  a  personal  reputation  for  coolness  and 
resource,  and  was  soon  found  to  possess  more  than  the  education  of  a  mere 
runaway  school-boy." — S.  C.  Hill :  op.  cit.,  pp.  20 — 22. 

In  1764,  Martin,  having  remained  loyal  during  a  Euro- 
pean Mutiny,  was  sent  to  Calcutta,  and  there,  on  April 
18th,  received  his  commission  as  a  Lieutenant.  For 
an  account  of  Martin's  career  as  a  soldier  and  an  assist- 
ant to  the  first  Surveyor-General  of  Bengal,  Major  Een- 
nell,  and  for  his  doings  in  the  service  of  the  Nawab's 
Wazir  at  Lucknow.  the  reader  must  consult  Mr.   Hill's 


100  GUIDE   TO   CALCUTTA. 

biography.  Mr.  Hill  also  recounts  the  several  ways  in 
which  his  hero  acquired  a  vast  fortune.  "Considering 
his  influence  at  Court  and  among  natives,"  Mr.  Hill 
concludes,  "if  he  (Martin)  thought  about  the  matter  at 
all,  it  must  have  been,  like  Clive  when  he  remembered 
the  Treasury  at  Murshidabad.  to  marvel  at  his  own 
moderation." 

Martin  was  a  man  of  many  parts.  He  was  a  skilled 
surveyor,  and  we  still  have  a  map  of  Calcutta,  dated 
1760  or  1764,  which  is  ascribed  to  his  hand.  He  is  said 
to  have  possessed  a  library  of  4,000  books  and  a  fine 
collection  of  manuscripts.  He  was  a  patron  of  the  exiled 
painter  Zoffany,  and  minting,  gun-making,  indigo-farming, 
cock-fighting,  horse-breeding,  botany,  and  balloon-flying 
were  among  his  most  notorious  hobbies.  In  the  vault 
of  the  Lucknow  La  Martiniere  is  an  immense  bell  which 
he  cast,  and  in  the  grounds  of  the  same  Institution 
is  to  be  seen  an  immense  bronze  18-pounder  which  is 
said  to  have  been  used  at  Seringapatam.  His  palace  tomb, 
the  "  Constantia,"  commemorating  either  the  girl  he  left 
behind  him  or  his  motto  constantia  et  labore,  represents 
his  taste  for  experimenting  in  architecture. 

Lord  Valentia  has  left  us  a  portrait  of  Claud  Martin 
quite  as  black  as  the  devil  is  painted  red.  It  cannot 
be  denied  that  Martin  had  four  "wives-"  Of  these  ladies 
he  says  in  his  will — 

' "  The  four  women  undermentioned,  as  also  the  young  one  named  Sally, 
to  whom  I  bequeath  legacies,  I  have  acquired  them,  not  as  we  term  slaves 
though  paid  a  consideration  for,  but  the  sum  I  paid  was  a  present  to  the 
relations,  that  I  might  have  had  a  right  on  them  as  not  to  be  claimed  by 
anybody  ;  and  those  I  acquired  for  to  be  the  companion  of  my  good  or  bad 
fortune,  and  they  were  to  be  with  me  for  life.  I  had  them  when  in  their 
childhood,  and  I  had  them  educated  as  virtuously  as  I  could,  they  have 
fulfilled  my  intention  to  ray  great  satisfaction." 

The  fact,  divested  of  Lord  Valentia 's  gratuitous  maUce, 
is  that  the  "  wives  "  in  question  were  really  orphan  girls 
— natives  on  the  mother's  side — who  had  been  deserted  by 
their  European  fathers.  His  favourite  "  Boulone,  sur- 
named  Lisa,  he  bought  at  the  age  of  nine  from  one 
Caviriere,  a  Frenchman,  who  had  acquired  her  by 
purchase  from  a  cruel  and  inhuman  father  and  mother." 


CLAUD   MARTIN.  101 

Sally  was  the  daughter  of  Colonel  Harper.  The 
relationship  of  Martin  to  the  helpless  orphan  girls  he 
took  under  his  protecton  was  wholly  innocent.  How,  his 
biographer  asks,  could  he  either  ' '  drive  them  into  marriage 
with  natives  whom  they  despised  or  into  connections  with 
Europeans  whom  he  himself  looked  upon  with  contempt?" 
The  position  which  they  held  in  his  curious  house  on  the 
Gumti  was  one  which  the  natives  of  Lucknow  would 
have  regarded  as  respectable,  and  that  position  was 
formal.  He  does  indeed  say  of  Boulone  or  Lisa  ' '  I  have 
loved  her  as  the  most  chaste  and  virtuous  wife,"  but 
there  was  never  between  Martin  and  his  child  companions 
aught  but  the  tie  of  a  life-long  affection  and  sincere 
mutual  respect. 

The  General  died  at  Lucknow  on  October  13th,  1800. 
Writes  the  Calcutta  Gazette: — 

' '  The  greatest  part  of  the  immense  wealth  of  which  the  General  did 
possess  amounting,  it  is  said,  to  nearly  forty  lakhs  of  rupees  has  been  left 
for  the  support  and  foundation  of  Public  Establialmients,  Charitable  and 
Literary.  Four  lakhs  of  rupees  we  understand  are  appropriated  to  found  an 
establishment  in  Calcutta  ;  two  for  a  similar  purpose  at  Lyons,  the  native 
place  of  the  General  and  a  donation,  which  does  incite  credit  to  his  humanity, 
a  lakh  and  a-half  of  rupees,  the  interest  of  which  is  to  be  applied  in  equal 
portion  to  the  relief  of  the  poor  of  all  persuasions,  whetlier  Christians, 
Mussulmans,  or  Hindoos,  inhabitants  of  Calcutta,  Lucknow,  Chandernagore. 
One  of  the  General's  houses,  it  is  also  said,  he  has  endowed  as  an  Academy, 
for  the  purpose  of  instructing  the  natives  in  the  English  Language  and 
Literature." 

For  thirty-five  years  the  benevolent  purposes  of  the 
will  were  thwarted  partly  by  the  inabiUty  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  as  official  guardian  of  all  charitable  bequests,  to 
decide  as  to  the  proper  course  to  be  pursued,  and  partly 
by  "  a  rapid  and  melancholy  succession  of  deaths  in  the 
judges."  At  last,  on  October  22nd,  the  Justices  W.  0. 
Russell,  John  Franks,  and  Edward  Ryan  gave  a  decision  in 
which  it  was  assumed,  that  from  the  fact  that  the  testator 
had  ' '  appointed  a  Protestant  Government  to  carry  out 
his  will,"  had  mentioned  an  "  annual  sermon,"  and 
directed  the  children  to  attend  the  Church  in  Calcutta, 
a  bias  was  exhibited  in  favour  of  the  connection  of  his 
school  with  the  Church  of  England.  This  led  to  a  tussle, 
for  it  was  asserted,  that  being  a  Roman  Catholic,  Martm, 


102  GUIDE   TO   CALCUTTA. 

despite  his  phrase  "the  English  language  and  religion," 
must  have  intended  his  school  to  have  a  Roman  Catholic 
complexion.  The  Presbyterians  no  doubt  dissented  from 
this  view,  but  they  joined  in  a  three-cornered  duel  with 
the  cry  "Are  we  not  Protestants  too."  For  a  tizne. 
Bishop  Wilson,  with  that  wonderful  tact  of  his,  managed 
to  secure  the  allegiance  of  Dr.  St.  Leger,  the  Vicar- 
Apostolic,  and  the  Presbyterian  Senior  Chaplain,  Dr. 
Charles,  to  a  compromise,  but  the  Vicar- Apostolic  was 
recalled  and  charged  with  having  conceded  fundamental 
principles  and  having  improperly  indulged  in  social  inter- 
course with  an  Anglican  Bishop,  and  Dr.  Charles  found 
himself  confronted  by  angry  critics  in  his  mother  land. 

At  last,  however,  a  beginning  was  made,  and  the  long 
delay,  during  which,  at  compound  interest,  the  capital 
available  had  amounted  to  £160,000,  proved  by  no  means 
an  unmixed  evil.  The  first  Head  Master  of  the  Boys' 
School  was  Canon  Christopher,  whose  venerable  figure 
is  so  well-known  to  Oxford  men  for  generations  past, 
whose  missionary  breakfasts  have  long  been  a  typical 
Oxford  institution,  and  whose  ear-trumpets  which,  after 
having  defeated  the  eloquence  of  many  a  minor  orator, 
extorted  from  Mr.  Gladstone,  when  delivering  his  Romanes 
Lecture,  a  saving  clause  to  his  panegyric  of  Archbishop 
Laud  quite  worthy  of  the  skill  of  the  ' '  old  Parliamentary 
hand." 

Some  Mahommedan  Tombs. 

Before  the  Bamun  Bustee  Police  Thana  there  is  a  sward 
of  open  ground  leading  down  to  a  tank,  and  here  we  see 
some  decayed  and  forlorn-looking  graves  of  Mahommedans. 
This  is  the  Kasia  Bagan  Burial  Ground.  Here  we  may  find 
the  tomb  of  Vizier  AU,  whose  history  was  once  notorious, 
but  to-day  is  forgotten.  The  adopted  son  of  Asuf-ud- 
Daula,  Nawab  of  Oude,  he  was,  on  the  death  of  the  old 
Nawab  in  1797,  despite  the  opposition  of  the  Royal  Family, 
placed  on  the  throne:  but  his  foohsh  intrigues  were  speedily 
reported  to  the  Governor-General,  and  Ali  was  deposed 
to  make  room  for  Sadut  Ali,  the  late  Nawab's  brother. 
The  fallen  Monarch  was  granted  a  pension  of  two  lakhs 
per  annum,  but  was  ordered  to  repair  to  Calcutta  where 


VIZIER  ALI,  THE  ASSASSIN.  103 

his  movements  could  be  carefully  watched  by  the  Govern- 
ment. On  his  way  downcountry.  he  was  invited  by  Mr. 
Cherry,  the  Company's  resident  at  Benares,  to  breakfast : 
and  to  Mr.  Cherry's  house  he  came  attended  by  a  large 
retinue. 

' '  It  had  been  previously  intimated  to  Mr.  Cherry  that  his  appearance 
was  hostile,  and  that  he  ought  to  be  on  his  guard,  but  he  unfortunately 
disobeyed  the  caution.  Vizier  Ally  made  many  complaints  of  the  Com- 
pany's treatment  of  him,  and,  having  continued  his  strain  of  reproach 
against  them  for  some  time,  he  finally  gave  the  dreadful  signal  to  his 
attendants  who  rushed  in  at  the  moment  and  literally  cut  Mr.  Cherry  to 
pieces."     Asiatic  Journal,  Feb.,  1818,  p.  191. 

He  had  evidently  plotted  a  general  massacre,  but  suc- 
ceeded only  in  killing  Mr.  Cherry,  Captain  Conway,  and 
Mr.  Robert  Graham,  whom  he  met  on  the  way  to  the  house 
of  Mr.  Davis.  Mr.  Davis'  defence  of  his  hou.se  until  the 
arrival  of  the  Cavalry  from  Secrole  is  one  of  the  finest 
chapters  in  the  annals  of  British  gallantry. 

The  account  in  the  Asiatic  Journal  continues  : — 

' '  On  the  discomfiture,  however,  of  the  assassin,  he  sought  refuge  with 
the  Rajah  of  Berar,  a  powerful  and  independent  chief,  who  refused  to. 
give  him  up  unless  under  a  stipulation  of  his  life  being  spared.  To  this  it 
was  thought  prudent  to  accede,  and  being  accordingly  delivered  into 
our  hands,  he  was  brought  down  to  Calcutta,  and  confined  at  Fort  William 
in  a  sort  of  iron  cage,  where  he  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-six  years,  after  an 
imprisonment  of  seventeen  years  and  some  odd  months." 

The  following  extract  is  of  additional  interest  because 
it  records  the  interment  of  a  royal  princeling  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  Vizier  Ah  : — 

' '  Vizier  Ally,  who  had  been  so  many  years  a  State  prisoner  in  Fort  William 
for  the  murder  of  Mr.  Cherry  and  others  at  Benares,  died  on  Thursday  last. 
He  was  thirty -six  years  of  age,  and  had  been  nearly  half  that  time  in  solitary 
confinement.  Arrangements  had  been  completed,  by  which  he  was  to  have 
been  removed  to  Vellore,  where  he  would  have  enjoyed  comparative  liberty 
and  comfort,  and  the  delay  was  only  occasioned  by  the  unfavourableness  of 
the  season.  The  humane  intentions  of  the  Government  had  been  communi- 
cated to  him,  and  were  acknowledged  with  becoming  gratitude.  He  is  said 
to  have  died  of  water  in  the  chest.  He  was  buried  at  Casse  Bagaun,  near  the 
Circular  Road,  not  far  distant  from  the  grave  of  one  of  Tippoo  Sultan's  sons.' ' 
CalcvMa  Gazette,  May  22,  1817. 

It  is  said  that  no  less  than  30  lacs  of  rupees  were 
expended  on  the  festivities  connected  with  Vizier  All's 
wedding   in    1794  :    70   rupees    sufficed    for    his   funeral 


104  GUIDE   TO   CALCUTTA. 

expenses.  Suggested  translations  of  the  inscription 
which  has  long  since  disappeared,  will  be  found  in  Vol.  X 
of  the  Asiatic  Journal.     [Aug.  1828.] 

The  Presidency  Jail. 

After  crossing  the  Chowringhi  Road,  and  passing  on  our 
left  the  residences  recently  built  for  the  Government 
officials,  and  on  our  right  the  old  tank  known  as  Birjoo 
Talao,  we  find  on  our  left  the  Presidency  General  Hospital, 
and  on  our  right  the  vegetable  garden  cultivated  by  the 
unwilling  hands  of  the  native  denizens  of  the  Presidency 
Jail.  A  turn  to  our  right  brings  us  to  the  central  gateway 
of  the  Jail. 

In  the  centre  of  the  Jail  compound  is  a  tank,  and  to  the 
North  of  it  is  a  huge  Barrack  which,  according  to  tradition, 
was  once  the  hunting-box  of  Suraj-ud-Daula.  The  basis 
of  this  beUef  is  two- fold  :  (1)  The  Jail  is  still  called  by 
natives  hurrinbari — i.e.,  the  deer  house;  (2)  Suraj-ud- 
Daula  is  the  only  name  of  a  Nawab  of  Dacca  familiar  to 
Calcutta  ears.  Hurrinbari,  however,  was  the  playful 
native  name  for  the  place,  where  His  Majesty's  pets  were 
constrained  to  dwell,  long  before  the  present  Jail  came 
into  use. 

In  1767  Calcutta  had  two  Jails,  one  in  Lall  Bazar,  "a 
very  clean,  wholesome  place,"  the  other  in  the  Burra  Bazar, 
"a  confined  place  and  must  occasion  much  sickness." 
Of  these  two  places  of  incarceration  one  was  the  House  of 
Correction  for  petty  offenders  committed  by  thePohceMagis- 
trates :  the  other  the  Jail  proper  for  convicted  felons  and 
debtors.  A  letter  of  the  Board  to  the  Court  of  the  Hon. 
East  India  Company,  dated  November  30th,  1778,  shows 
that  the  present  Jail  must  have  been  erected  in  this  year. 
The  wall  round  the  Jail  dated  from  the  end  of  the  year 
1783.  So  far  it  was  only  the  Jail  which  had  been  removed 
to  the  maidan,  but  in  1783  a  Mr.  Hare,  late  Sheriff  of  Cal- 
cutta, offered  to  erect  a  new  House  of  Correction  or  "New 
Hurrinbari"  within  the  precincts  of  the  Jail,  in  return 
for  the  site  of  the  "Old  Hurrinbari"  and  the  sum  which 
had  been  thought  necessary  for  its  repairs.  The  Lall  Bazar 
Jail  was  converted  into  the  Company's  Printing  Works  in 
1787. 


EDITOR    HICKY.  105 

The  Debtors'  Prison  was  incJmled  within  the  Jail.  In 
the  presentment  of  the  Grand  Jury  in  June,  1784,  we  find 
the  complaint : — 

"  In  every  civilized  Government  the  measure  of  punishment  should  be 
ever  regulated  by  the  weight  of  offence,  but  in  the  present  state  of  the  jail 
the  convicted  Felon  who  is  led  out  to  execution,  is  happier  than  the  unfortun- 
ate Debtor,  who  is  left  to  a  lingering  destruction,amidst  the  gloom  of  a 
confined  and  unwholesome  prison,  in  a  damp  and  stagnated  air,  without  a 
hope  of  relief,  but  what  depends  upon  the  caprice  of  a  merciless  creditor." 
Seton-Karr:  Selections,  Vol.  1,  p.  21. 

Here,  in  the  "Birjoo  Jail,"  was  imprisoned  in  1782  John 
Augustus  Hicky,  the  founder  of  the  first  Indian  newspaper 
— the  truculent  and  slanderous  Bengal  Gazette.  For  a 
time  the  unfortunate  debtor  was  able  to  maintain  his  family 
outside  the  Jail  in  "a  small  brick  house,"  but  as  Christmas 
came  round,  stern  necessity  led  to  the  incarceration  of 
his  children  also.  A  Report  of  the  House  of  Commons 
in  1872  gives  us  a  picture  of  the  Calcutta  Jail  in  Hicky' s 
time.  It  was  "the  ruin  of  a  house  formerly  the  residence 
of  some  black  native."  Natives  and  Europeans  were 
huddled  together  promiscuously,  and  many  died  for  want 
of  the  necessities  of  life. 

'■In  the  middle  of  the  Jail  enclosure  was  a  tank  about  thirty  yards  square, 
in  which  the  prisoners  promiscuously  bathed  and  washed  their  clothes.  Euro- 
peans were  generally  indulged  by  the  gaoler  with  permission  to  erect  and 
live  in  small  bamboo  and  matting  huts  near  this  tank;  it  would  be  impossible 
for  any  European  to  exist  for  any  length  of  time  within  the  prison.  The 
stench  was  dreadful.  There  was  no  infirmary  or  jjrovision  for  the  sick  that  he 
ever  heard  of.  Debtors  and  criminals  were  not  separated,  nor  men  from 
women  (but  of  this  he  was  not  positive).  An  old  woman  prisoner  who 
begged  of  him  said,  in  answer  to  his  question,  that  she  wanted  the  money 
to   buy  water." 

Until  1865  there  were,  then,  two  separate  institutions 
within  the  walls  of  the  present  Jail,  viz.  (1)  the  Great 
Jail,  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Sheriff,  where  were 
confined  prisoners  sentenced  by  the  High  Court,  military 
convicts  awaiting  deportation,  and  the  debtors,  and  (2)  the 
House  of  Correction,  under  the  Commissioner  of  Police  for 
petty  offenders.  Prisoners  from  the  Great  Jail  were  dis- 
charged from  the  western  gate  :  those  from  the  House  of 
Correction  from  an  exit  in  the  South  Wall.  In  February- 
1865,  a  bill  was  passed  which  united  the  two  prisons  under 


106  GUIDE    TO    CALCUTTA. 

a  (Superintendent,  and  from  that  time  the  Jail  has  been 
known  as  the  Presidency  Jail.  In  the  year  following,  the 
grain  riots,  which  had  accompanied  the  famine  in  Orissa, 
was  created  the  necessity  of  accommodating  here  con- 
victs from  the  Mofussil. 

The  Jail  is  at  the  present  day  by  no  means  insanitary, 
but  its  arrangements  are  scarcely  up-to-date.  It  has 
long  been  an  eyesore  for  Calcutta  folk  who  are  naturally 
jealous  of  the  beauty  of  their  maidan.  A  new  Jail  is 
now  in  course  of  erection  at  Alipore,  and  when  that  is 
ready,  the  Dhee  Birjoo  Prison  will  disappear  to  make  way 
for  the  white  marble  Victoria  Memorial  Hall  and  its 
gardens. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Southern  Calcutta. 

Our  ramble  through  south-western  Calcutta  will  com- 
mence at  the  corner  near  the  Hastings  Bridge.  We  here 
cross  over  Tolly's  Nullah.* 

'  Our  readers  may  deem  it  incredible,  but  we  have  a  firm  conviction  that 
the  Ganges  itself  which  now  flows  by  Bishop's  College,  once  took  its  course 
on  the  site  of  Tolly's  NaJa.  With  the  natives,  to  the  south  of  Calcutta,  Tolly- 
gunj  is  a  sacred  place  for  cremation,  and  so  is  Baripur,  where  there  is  now  not 
a  drop  of  water,  because  they  believe  the  stream  of  the  Ganges  rolled  here 
once  :  the  traveller  never  sees  any  funeral  pyres  smoking  near  the  Hughi, 
south  of  Calcutta,  as  the  natives  have  a  notion  that  this  is  Khata  Ganga,  or  a 
modern  channel — the  ancient  channel,  and  not  merely  the  water,  is  accounted 
sacred  by  them.  Geological  observations  confirm  this.  In  the  borings  mad© 
at  Kidderpur  in  1822,  it  was  found,  there  were  no  vegetable  remains  or  trees, 
hence  there  must  have  been  a  river  or  large  body  of  water  here. ' '  The  Revd. 
J.  Long  in  the  Calcutta  Review,  Vol.  XVIII,  p.  287,  Footnote. 

In  1775  Captain  Tolly  was  permitted  by  the  Govern- 
ment to  excavate  this  ancient  silted  up  river-bed  and 
open  a  way  into  the  Sunderbuns.  He  reimbursed  himself 
for  this  toil  by  a  bazar  or  ganj  at  the  place  which 
still  bears  his  name — Tolly  ganj, — and  by  tolls  on  crafts 
making  use  of  his  canal.  Tolly,  at  one  time,  owned 
and  hved  in  the  house  which  formed  the  nucleus  of 
the  present  palace  of  the  Lieutenant-Governors,  and 
it  was  to  this  house  the  wounded  Sir  Phihp  Francis  was 
conveyed  after  his  duel  with  Warren  Hastings. 

To  the  right  of  us  a  hydraulic  lifting  bridge  carries  the 
Port  Commissioners'  trains  from  the  Docks  on  their  way 
to   the   Eastern   Bengal  Eailway  at   Chitpore.f     Further 


*  Frequently  called  in  error  the  Govindpur  Creek. 

t  The  bridge  was  designed  by  Mr.  W.  DuS  Bruce  and  executed  by  Messrs. 
Burn  &  Co.  The  main  girders  rest  on  four  columns  of  Mirzapore  stone  built  on 
brick  abutments  27  ft.  6  in.  each  in  length  and  12  ft.  9  in.  in  breadth  at  the  top, 
founded  on  brick  cylinders  sunk  to  a  depth  9  ft.  <5  in.  below  low  watermark.     The 


108  GUIDE    TO    CALCUTTA. 

down  the  stream,  to  the  left,  is  Kidderpore  Bridge 
across  which  the  Tramway  Company  runs  its  lines.  The 
approach  from  Calcutta  to  Garden  Reach  in  the  18th 
century  went  over  "Kidderpore  or  Surman's  Bridge;" 
the  junction  of  Garden  Reach  with  the  Strand  Road 
not  being  carried  out  till  much  later  times. 

Close  to  Hastings  Bridge  we  find  on  our  right  the 
Royal  Indian    Marine  Dockyard. 

"It  was  here  that  the  enterprising  Colonel  Henry  Watson  domesticated 
the  art  of  shipbuilding  in  Bengal.  It  is  true  that  Grose,  in  speaking  of  the 
year  1766,  says  on  the  other  side  of  the  water  there  were  docks  for  repairing 
and  careening  the  ships,  near  which  the  Armenians  had  a  good  garden,'  but  his 
.statements  are  generally  too  loose  to  command  confidence.  .  .  .  To  Colonel 
Watson  unqestionably  belongs  the  honour  of  having  established  the  first  dock- 
yard in  Bengal.  His  penetration  led  him  to  perceive  the  advantageous  situa- 
tion of  the  Bay  of  Bengal  in  reference  to  the  countries  lying  to  the  east  and 
west  of  it.  He  felt  that  if  the  English  Marine  was  placed  on  an  efficient  foot- 
ing, we  must  remain  masters  of  the  Eastern  Seas.  He,  therefore,  obtained  a 
grant  of  land  from  Government  at  Kidderpore,  for  the  establishment  of  wet 
and  dry  docks,  and  of  a  marine  yard  in  which  every  facility  should  be  created 
for  building,  repairing  and  equipping  vessels  of  war  and  merchantmen.  His 
works  were  commenced  in  1780;  and  the  next  year  he  launched  the  yonsuch* 
frigate  of  36  guns,  which  was  constructed  under  his  own  directions  by  native 
workmen,  and  proved  remarkable  for  her  speed.  He  devoted  his  time  and 
fortune  to  this  national  undertaking  for  eight  years,  and  in  1788  launched 
another  frigate,  the  Surprise,  of  36  guns:  but  his  resources  were  by  this  time 
exhausted:  and  after  having  sunk  ten  lakhs  of  rupees  in  his  dockyard,  he  was 
-obliged  to  relinquish  it."  The  Rev.  J.  Lone  in  the  Calcutta  Rtvifv.  Vol. 
XVIII,  p.  430. 

In  the  year  in  which  Watson,  then  the  Chief  Engineer 
at  Fort  William,!  established  his  dockyard  in  this  place, 
he  was  called  upon  by  Sir  Philip  Francis  to  act  as 
his  second  in  the  duel  with  Warren  Hastings.  The 
Colonel  seems  to  have  been  famihar  with  precedents. 
"Watson,"  writes  Francis  in  his  Journal  for  August 
17th,  "marks  out  a  distance  about  fourteen  com- 
mon paces,  the  same  he  said  at  which  Mr.  Fox  and 
Mr.  Adam  stood."     Watgunge   Road  which  we  pass  on 

moveable  platform  carries  a  single  line  of  railway,  5'  6"  gauge.  The  span  oi  the 
l)ridge  is  116  ft.  between  the  supporting  columns,  and  there  is  a  clear  waterway 
of  110  ft.  between  the  abutments,  the  weight  of  the  bridge  is  195  tons.  The  cost 
■of  the  bridge  was  Rs.  95,000.  A  full  account  of  it  will  be  found  in  the  Indian 
Engineer  oi  October  16th,  1886. 

*  The  Nonsuch  was  lost  in  1801  when  hauling  into  port.  She  was  quite  rotten 
at  the  time. 

t  Watson  in  1776  superseded  Major  Fortnan),  who  had  held  temporary  rank 
a.s  Lieutenant-Colonel. 


II 


KIDDERPORE    DOCKS.  10^ 

OUT  left  commemorates  the  market — Watsonganj — 
established  in  proximity  to  the  Colonel's  dockyard.  "  To 
Watson,"  writes  the  late  Mr.  C.  R.  Wilson,  "Calcutta  owes 
numerous  public  improvements,  and  not  the  least,  the 
completion  of  her  citadel  and  of  the  surrounding  espla- 
nade."* 

In  the  year  1800,  when  Mr.  Waddell  was  John 
Company's  mastership-builder,  two  lads,  James  and 
Robert  Kyd,  the  sons,  by  a  native  mother,  of  Colonel 
Robert  Kyd,  after  learning  something  of  their  future 
profession  in  England,  were  apprenticed  in  the  Kidder- 
pore  Dock.  On  the  retirement  of  Waddell,  the  brothers 
were  able  to  purchase  the  Dockyard.  Kyd  Street,  no 
doubt,  derives  its  name  from  the  Kyd  family,  but  it  is 
quite  certain  that  the  name  Kidderpore,  which  goes  back 
to  the  earliest  days  of  the  English  in  Calcutta,  cannot  be 
explained   by  the  name  of  Kyd. 

We  now  reach  the  Kidderpore  Docks.  In  1870  the 
body  known  as  the  Port  Commissioners  took  over  the 
management  of  the  affairs  of  the  Port  from  the 
Government  Marine  Department.  Of  this  body  five  are 
elected  by  the  Bengal  Chamber  of  Commerce,  one  by 
the  Trades'  Association,  one  by  the  Calcutta  Corporation, 
one  by  any  such  body  or  bodies  or  firms  as  the  Local  Govern- 
ment may  select,  and  seven  (including  the  Chairman  and 
Vice -Chairman)  are  appointed  by  Government.  The 
Docks  were  commenced  in  1884  and  cost  284  lakhs  of 
rupees.  The  first  ship  entered  there  in  June  1892.  By 
the  close  of  1900  Rs.  3,34,44,870  had  been  expended  on 
these  docks,  and  a  vast  expansion  is  contemplated 
in  the  near  future. 

After  crossing  the  railway  line,  we  enter  Garden 
Reach. 

"The  map  [Charles  Joseph's  in  1840]  commences  in  the  south  with  that 
series  of  splendid  mansions  at  Garden  Reach,  which  surprise  and  delight  the 
eye  of  the  stranger  as  he  approaches  Calcutta,  and  which  form  so  appropriate 
an  Introduction  to  a  city  which  has  justly  been   denominated  the    City  of 


*  Calcutta  Review,  July  1904,  a  last  article  from  Mr.  C.  R.  Wilson's  talented 
pen.  Few  men  have  done  more  to  recover  the  past  of  our  race  in  Bengal,  and 
few  men  in  Bengal  have  exhibited  more  conspicuously  that  "ornament  of  a  meek 
and  quiet  spirit  which  in  the  sight  of  God  is  of  great  price."     R.  I.  P. 


110  GUIDK    TO    CALCUTTA. 

Palaces.  At  what  precise  date  after  the  factory  of  Calcutta  had  become  the 
capital  of  a  kingdom  these  garden  houses  were  erected,  we  have  not  been 
able  to  discover.  Mrs.  Kindersley,  whose  interesting  letters,  written  in  1768, 
give  us  a  general  description  of  the  town,  makes  no  allusion  to  them,  and  we 
naturally  conclude  that  they  were  not  then  in  existence.  She  simply  says: 
'in  the  country  round  the  town  are  a  number  of  very  pretty  houses  which  are 

called  country-houses  belonging  to  the  English  gentlemen A  little  out 

of  the  town  is  a  clear  airy  spot,  free  from  smoke,  or  any  encumbrances,  called 
the  corse  (because  it  is  a  road,  the  length  of  a  corse,  or  two  miles)  in  a  sort  of 
ring,  or  rather  angle,  made  on  purpose  to  take  the  air  in,  which  the  company 
frequent  in  their  carriages  about  sunset,  or  in  the  morning  before  the  sun  is  up. 
Twelve  years  after,  however.  Garden  Reach  appears  to  have  been  in  all  its 
glory.  Mrs.  Fay  says  :  'the  banks  of  the  river  are,  as  one  may  say,  studded 
with  elegant  mansions,  ca.led  here,  as  at  Madra-s,  garden  houses.  These  houses 
are  surrounded  with  groves  and  lawns,  which  descend  to  the  water's  eH;je, 
and  present  a  constant  succession  of  whatever  can  delisht  the  eye  or  bespeak 
the  wealth  anrf  elegance  in  the  owners.'  " 

Many  of  the  "garden  houses"  seem  to  have  been  of 
the  nature  of  rural  taverns  and  a  snare  and  a  delusion 
for  the  young  "writers"  in  the  Company's  service. 
In  granting  a  hcense  for  a  "garden  house"  to  a  certain 
Mr.  WilUam  Parkes  in  1762,  we  find  the  Board  expressly 
stipulating  that  the  house  was  not  to  be  open  in  the 
morning  time. 

"Garden  houses  and  trips  to  the  country,  though  coming  under  the  censure 
of  the  Court  in  its  sumptuary  laws,  were  great  favourites  in  Calcutta.  Lord 
Glive  had  a  house  at  Dum  Dum,  Warren  Hastings  in  the  then  jungle?  at  Alipore 
with  a  pla/ie  for  sea-bathing  st  Birkal  below  Kedgri.  His  example  was 
followed  by  many  who  were  anxious  to  get  away  from  the  pestiferous  ditch, 
bence  perhaps  the  origin  of  the  order  that  no  inhabitant  was  to  go  ten  miles 
out  of  Calcutta  without  the  Governor's  permission."  The  Rev.  J.  Long  : 
Selections  Irom  the  Unpublished  Records  of  Oovernment,  1748 — 1767,  Intro- 
duction,  p.  xxix. 

Immediately  after  passing  the  dock  bridges,  we  find 
on  our  right  a  strip  of  ground  on  which  but  a  year  ago 
stood  No.  6,  Garden  Reach.  It  was  a  fine  old  house  and 
at  one  time  belonged  to  the  Prinsep  Family.  It  passed 
through  Messrs.  Carr,  Tagore  &  Co.,  of  which  Wilham 
Prinsep  was  one  of  the  partners,  to  the  Indian  General 
Navigation  Co.,  and  for  fifty  years  it  was  the  head-quarters 
of  the  Company's  fleet.  In  1879  the  Company  acquired 
a  plot  of  ground  known  as  Rajah  Bagan  some  three  miles 
lower  down  the  river,  in  1898  most  of  their  works  were 
removed  thither  from  Nos.  6  and  7,  Garden  Reach.  The 
old  Indian  General  Steam  Navigation  Co.  went  into 
liquidation   in    1899,    and    a    new    Company — the  India 


GARDEN    REACH.  Ill 

General  Navigation  and  Railway  Co. — was  formed  to 
take   its  place. 

No.  8,  the  (probable)  residence  of  Sir  W.  Jones,  has 
disappeared. 

No.  12,  the  residence  of  the  Chief  of  the  Bengal-Nag- 
pur  Railway  Company,  was  described  by  J.  C.  Marshman 
as  "distinguished  above  all  others  for  its  classical 
elegance.  It  was  erected  after  a  design  by  Mr.  C.  K.  Robin- 
son, to  whose  architectural  taste  the  city  is  indebted  for 
some  of  its  noblest  buildings."  In  1845  it  was  the  resi- 
dence of  the  Agent  of  the  P.  &  0.  Company,  and,  off  its 
banks,  was  the  anchorage  "of  those  magnificent  steamers 
which  ply  monthly  between  Suez  and  Calcutta,  and  bring 
out  passengers  in  six  weeks  from  England."  The  Ben- 
gal-Nagpur  Railway,  the  Port  Commissioners,  the  HughU 
Mills,  the  Army  Remount  Department  have  not  added 
to  the  beauty  of  the  scene. 

No.  71  on  the  left  is  the  "Pilots'  Chummery" — the 
Calcutta  home  of  the  younger  members  of  that  body  of 
skilled  navigators  who  bring  our  ships  up  and  down  that 
most  treacherous  of  all  river  approaches  which  lies 
between  the  Sandheads  and  Calcutta. 

The  trade  of  the  English  in  Bengal  first  began  from  Balaaore,  where  they 
had  a  factory,  as  no  English  vessel  would  venture  to  sail  up  the  Hooghly. 
Down  to  the  middle  of  the  17th  Century  only  Dutch  and  Portuguese  galliasses 
could  sail  up  the  Hooghly,  but  not  higher  than  Garden  Reach  and  Retor. 
Tn  1650,  on  the  arrival  of  a  ship,  the  Lyones-t  from  Europe,  the  English  at  Mad- 
ras discussed  much  the  project  of  sailing  up  the  Hooghly,  but  they  under- 
stood the  passage  to  be  full  of  danger.  The  Court  of  Directors  wished  that 
ehips  should  sail  up  the  Hooghly,  and  that  their  "business  in  the  Bay  should 
be  brougnt  into  some  decorum."*  In  1662  they  agreed  to  pay  ten  shillings 
per  ton  extra  to  the  chartered  ships  for  all  goods  they  should  take  in 
"within  the  said  Barr  of  Ganges,  and  to  be  at  the  charge  of  boats  and  Pylott8 
to  attend  up  and  down  the  river  and  in  and  out  of  the  Barr."f  Seeing  that 
Dutch  ships  of  600  tons  burthen  performed  the  feat  of  sailing  up  and  down 
the  river,  a  Captain  Elliot  ventured  to  essay  the  task,  but  did  not  succeed, 
owing  to  a  want  of  pilots.  In  1668,  therefore,  the  Court  renewed  the  oSer  of 
the  bonus  and  directed  that  'divers  able  persons'  should  be  instructed  as 
pilots,  and  that  all  persons  in  the  vessels  up  and  down  the  river,  from  the 
youngest  to  the  oldest,  should  be  put  upon  "taking  depths,  sholdings,  setting 
of  tydes,  currents,  distances,  buoyes,  and  making  draftes  of  the  river."f 
The  Hon'ble  Court  further  encouraged  'the  young  men  to  be  bredde  up' 
for  the  Pilot  service,  first  by  fixing  their  rat«  of  salary  at  six  pounds  for  the 


*  Wilson's  Early  Annals  of  the  English  in  Bengal,  Vol.  I,  page  47. 
t  IMd.  !  Ibid,  page  48. 


112  GUIDE    TO    CALCUTTA. 

first  three  years,  at  seven  pounds  for  the  next  two,  and  eight  pounds  for  the 
last  two.  These  apprentices,  we  are  told,  were  fed  at  the  Company's  expense.* 
These  offers  gave  an  increased  impulse  to  attempts  at  the  navigation  of  the 
Hooghly,  and  in  1678,  the  Falcon,  the  first  English  vessel  that  ventured  to  sail 
up  the  river,  penetrated  inland  to  Hooghly,  conveying  a  cargo  of  buHion  and 
goods  valued  at  over  £40,000.t  In  the  same  year  the  Court  directed  the  en- 
listment in  the  Pilot  service  of  anyone  that  might  be  willing  "among  the 
soberest  of  the  young  mates  for  midshipmen. "{ 

Nos.  51  to  55  represent  what  was  some  years  ago  the 
palace,  garden,  and  estate  of  the  deposed  King  of  Oudh,  and 
it  was  due  to  the  alleged  lawlessness  of  his  followers  that 
Garden  Reach  commenced  to  win  an  undesirable  reputation 
and  so  dwindled  in  popularity  as  a  fashionable  settlement. 

[June  15th,  1857.]  "The  Barrackpore  sepoys§  whose  designs  had  excited 
such  dread  had  indeed  been  disarmed ;  but  it  was  still  probable  that  the  King 
of  Oudh's  men  would  work  mischief.  The  Government  had  in  their  hands 
proofs  that  some  of  the  King's  dependents  had  tried  to  corrupt  the  fidelity  of 
the  native  sentries  at  the  Fort ;  and  it  was  impossible  to  say  that  their  machi- 
nations had  not  spread  much  further.  Canning,  therefore,  acting  on  Grant's 
advice,  sent  Edmondstone  to  secure  the  person  of  the  King  and  his  chief  advis- 
ers. Starting  on  his  mission  in  the  early  morning,  Edmondstone  entered  the 
palace  after  posting  a  strong  detachment  of  soldiers  round  the  walls,  to  cut 
off  the  King's  escape.  When  he  had  arrested  the  Prime  Minister  and  tlie  chief 
courtiers,  he  sought  for  admittance  to  the  presence  of  the  King  himself.  After 
some  delay  he  was  ushered  into  the  royal  apartments,  and  courteously  inform- 
ed the  King  that  the  Governor-General  hiving  heard  that  plots  were  being 
carried  on  in  his  name  desired  to  remove  him,  by  way  of  precaution  to  Govern- 
ment House.  The  King,  protesting  his  innocence  with  unwonted  energy  of 
manner,  suffered  himself  to  be  led  off.  For  a  while  he  bore  himself  firmly  ; 
but  on  the  way  to  Fort  William  he  burst  into  tears,  and  contrasting  the  misery 
of  his  own  lot  with  the  glory  of  his  ancestors,  exclaimed  that  if  General  Outram 
had  been  there,  he  would  have  borne  witness  to  the  submission  with  which  he 
had  obeyed  the  British  Government.  Edmondstone,  however,  could  only 
carry  out  his  orders  ;  and  the  King  and  the  ministers  who  had  made  him  their 
tool  were  handed  over  to  the  custody  of  Colonel  Cavanagh.  Thus  deprived 
of  their  leaders,  the  Oadh  plotters  were  rendered  powerless.'  T.  Rice  Hohnes  : 
History  of  the  Indian  Mutiny,  pp.  171-2. 

The  break  up  of  the  Garden  Reach  estabhshment  of 
the  King  of  Oudh,  after  the  King's  death,  has  been  told 
by  Lady  DufEerin. 

[January,  1888.]  "The  King  of  Oude  died  in  the  autumn,  and  we  all  went  to 
see  his  place  and  his  house.     I  had  visited  the  animals  there  before,  but  the 


*  Wilson's  Early  Annals  of  the  English  in  Bengal,  Vol,  I,  page  48. 

t  Sir  C.  C.  Stevens'  paper  on  the  Port  of  Calcutta,  in  the  London  Art  Society's 
Journal,  page  4, 

t  Ibid. 

§  The  reader  will  scarcely  need  to  be  reminded  that  the  kingdom  of  Oudh  was 
annexed,  in  Dalhousie's  6a,ys,  on  Feb.  13th,  1856.  For  years  past  the  King  had 
been  maintained  on  his  throne  by  British  support. 


THE  KING    OF  OUDB's    "PALACK."  113 

Viceroy  had  never  been  able  to  go  to  this  King's  habitation,  so  it  was  all  new 
to  him.  Most  of  the  animals  have  been  sold,  and  the  grounds  look  tidy  and 
well  kept.  They  are  very  large,  and  we  drove  about  for  half  an  hour,  winding 
round  bungalow.'',  and  bear  houses,  and  tanks  for  waterfowl,  and  cages  for 
monkeys,  deer,  and  birds,  and  sheds  for  camels  and  palaces  for  pigeons.  The 
bungalows  all  had  marble  floors,  and  in  every  room  there  was  a  bed  with  silver 
feet,  and  no  other  furniture  whatever.  The  walls,  however,  were  covered  with 
pictures — questionable  French  prints  and  Scripture  subjects  mixed  indiscri- 
minately. The  park  is  situated  on  the  river,  and  would  be  lovely  were  it  a 
little  less  zoological.  The  King  died  in  a  room  on  the  ground-floor,  opening 
into  a  small  court  which  was  full  of  monkeys  and  pigeons — extremely  suggest- 
ive of  fleas.  Upstairs  there  were  some  much  nicer  rooms,  and  we  saw  some 
books  of  prints  which  he  had  coloured  himself ,  they  were  really  very  well  done. 
His  ladies  were  nearly  as  numerous  as  his  animals,  and  they  aie  now  being 
despatched  to  their  own  homes  as  quickly  as  possible.  They  go  at  the  rate  ot 
seven  or  eight  a  day,  but  there  are  still  a  great  number  left ;  and  when  the 
Viceroy  approached  their  habitation  they  collected  behind  some  Venetian 
shutters,  and  set  to  work  to  howl  and  weep  with  all  their  might.  The  effect 
was  most  extraordinary,  but  did  not  excite  the  pity  it  was  intended  to  evoke. 
I  am  sure  they  will  be  much  happier  with  their  own  little  income,  guaranteed 
by  the  British  Government,  than  they  ever  could  have  been  shut  up  together, 
the  slaves  of  a  hard-hearted  old  man  who  cared  more  for  his  cobras  and  his 
wild  beasts  than  he  did  for  them.  These  being  my  sentiments,  I  thought  the 
lamentations  were  more  amusing  than  melancholy."  Lady  Du fieri n  :  Our 
Viceregal  Life  in  India,  Vol.  II,  pp.  240-41. 

We  have  now  reached  the  district  denoted,  from  its 
old  mud  fortress,  Mutiabruj  (Mettya  Bruz).  In  the 
early  days  the  Mahommedan  Governors  protected  the 
river  approach  by  a  fort  here,  and  another  at  Tannah 
where  the  Botanical  Gardens  now  flourish.  In  1760  the 
Government  ordered  a  boom  to  be  thrown  across  the 
river,  between  these  two  forts,  to  prevent  the  Mugs — 
an  aboriginal  tribe  from  Chittagong  devoted  to  piracy — 
coming  up  to  ravage  Calcutta. 

We  must  now  turn  sharply  to  the  left  and  drive  down 
Garden  Reach  Circular  Road.  A  practical  engineer  may 
perhaps  find  something  to  interest  him  as  he  passes  the 
engine-rooms  of  the  docks,  but  the  ordinary  pilgrim  must 
prepare  for  a  mauvais  quart  cfheure.  When  Watgunge 
Road  has  been  passed,  and  the  Kidderpore  Bridge  is 
in  sight,  we  must  turn  sharply  to  our  right  and  through 
two  bazaars,  one  moderately  filthy  and  the  other  ex- 
tremely filthy,  down  Diamond  Harbour  Road. 

St.  Stephen's  Church. 

On  our  left  we  find  St.  Stephen's  Church — the  Parish 
Church  of    Kidderpore,    Hastings  (Civil),  Garden  Reach, 
F,  GC  8 


114  GUIDE    TO    CALCUTTA. 

Alipore,  and  Belvedere.  The  pleasant  garden  is  in  com- 
plete contrast  to  the  squalor  of  the  bazars  through 
which  we  have  just  passed.  The  Church  was  built  in 
the  year  1846,  but,  for  one  reason  or  the  other,  it  was 
not  consecrated  until  December  1870.  As  the  Parish 
Church  of  Kidderpore  Docks,  it  contains  most  appropriate- 
ly several  memorials  to  sea-faring  men.  Of  these  the 
most  interesting  is  that — 

"In  memory  of  James  Henry  Johnson,  Commander,  e.n.,  Controller  of  the 
Steam  Department,  H.  E.  I.  C.  S.,  who  died  at  sea  near  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope 
on  the  5th  of  May  1851,  aged  63.  After  twelve  years  of  varied  service  in  the 
Royal  Navy,  his  career  of  usefulness  in  India  commenced  in  1817.  He  con- 
ducted to  Calcutta  the  first  steamship,  the  Enterprize,  in  1825,  and  tbe  River 
Steamers,  Steam-foundry,  Dockyard,  and  School  of  Engineers,  all  originated 
and  organized  by  himself,  are  lasting  monuments  of  his  active  talents,  fertile 
resource,  public  zeal,  and  unwearied  personal  energy.  His  end  was  perfect 
peace.  'Blessed  are  the  dead  which  die  in  the  Lord  from  henceforth  :  Yea, 
eaith  the  Spirit,  that  they  may  rest  from  their  labours'." 

The  inscription  omits  to  mention  that  Johnson  fought 
in  the  great  naval  battle  ofi  Cape  Trafalgar. 

Of   the  Enterprize' s  voyage  from  Europe,  we  read  : — 

'This  vessel  arrived  at  Calcutta  on  the  9th  December  in  145  days  from 
Falmouth,  more  than  double  the  time  assigned  for  the  reward.  The  event 
appears  not  to  have  excited  such  sensation  in  India  as  was  expected.  The 
passengers  voted  Captain  Johnson  a  piece  of  plate.  It  is  stated  that  his 
utmost  rate  of  steaming  in  smooth  water  was  8  knots  an  hour,  and  that  the 
expense  of  the  fuel  consumed  would  not  have  been  covered  if  all  the  cabins 
had  been  filled  with  passengers.  Yesterday  Captain  Johnson  was  honoured 
by  a  visit  from  the  Governor-General.  The  Enterprize  went  down  the  river 
as  far  as  Melancholy  Point,  and  returned  in  the  afternoon.  Lord  Amherst 
was  accompanied  by  Lady  Amherst,  the  Hon.  Miss  Amherst,  and  his  suite ; 
the  Lord  Bishop  and  Mrs.  Heber,  Mr.  and  Mis.  Harrington,  Sir  C.  Gray,  Sir 
A.  Buller,  the  Hon.  Mr.  Elliot,  and  several  other  ladies  and  gentlemen.  The 
company  partook  of  an  excellent  collation,  and  expressed  themselves  highly 
gratified  with  the  powers  of  the  vessel  and  her  general  arrangements.  The 
Enterprize  is  purchased  and  taken  possession  of  by  the  Government.  The 
purchase-money  is  said  to  be  £40,000.  Captain  Johnson  continues  in  com- 
mand of  her."     Beng.  Hurkaru,  Dec.  27,  1825. 

The  handsome  marble  pulpit  is  well  worthy  of 
attention.  Designed  by  some  master  in  the  Gothic 
revival  of  the  XlXth  Century,  and  courageously  true  to 
mediaeval  ideas,  this  magnificent  pulpit  for  nearly  half 
a  century  remained  hidden  away  in  an  undertaker's 
shop  in  Bentinck  Street.  In  1901  the  present  writer 
was  fortunate    enough   to    be    able   to    purchase    it    for 


KIDDERPORE   HOUSE.  115 

St.  Stephen's.  The  fine  brass  eagle  Lectern  was  purchased 
in  1902  mainly  by  monthly  subscriptions.  It  is  an 
exact  reproduction  of  the  Lectern  at  the  Madras 
Cathedral.  The  Eastern  Window  is  a  memorial  to 
Mrs.  Colquhoun  Grant  whose  stately  hospitality  is  so  well 
remembered.  St.  Stephen's,  with  its  graceful  spire,  is 
undoubtedly  one  of  the  prettiest  churches  in  Bengal. 

KiDDERPORE  House. 

A  gateway  to  the  South  of  the  principal  entrance  to 
the  Church  leads  into  the  park-Uke  grounds  of  the  Royal 
Military  Orphanage — to-day  known  as  Kidderpore  House. 
This  house  has  a  remarkable  history;  originally  it 
was  the  residence  of  Richard  Barwell,  the  councillor 
who  supported  Warren  Hastings  against  the  cavils  of 
Sir  Philip  Francis  and  his  allies.  Sir  Philip's  regard  for 
Barwell  was  by  no  means  increased  by  the  winnings  he 
drew  from  that  youth  by  high  stakes. 

"If  money  be  hia  blood,  I  feel  no  trend  of  remorse  in  opening  his  veins; 
•  he  blood-sucker  should  bleed  and  can  very  well  afford  it." 

In  1775  Sir  Philip  writes  : 

"Mr.  Barwell  in  Council  supports  the  Government,  but  abroad  is  endeavour- 
ing to  make  a  bank  apart  in  order  to  screen  his  own  iniquities.  He  is  to 
marry  Miss  Glavering,*  a  damnable  match,  which  can  produce  nothing  but 
misery  and  dishonour  to  the  lady  and  her  family  and  disappointment  to  him- 
self. He  is  cunning,  cruel,  rapacious,  tyrannioal.  and  profligate  beyond  all 
European  ideas  of  these  quahties." 

Barwell,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  married  Miss  Ehzabeth 
Jane  Sanderson  in  November  1776.  She  died  two  years 
later,  leaving  her  husband,  two  infant  sons,  and  was  buried 
beneath  a  nameless  but  lofty  pyramid  in  the  South  Park 
Street  Burial  Ground  : 

"In  the  enjoyment  of  such  society,  which  was  graced  with  the  ladies  of  the 
first  fashion  and  beauty  of  the  settlement,  I  fell  a  convert  to  the  charms  of  the 
celebrated  Miss  Sanderson,  but  in  vain  with  many  others  did  I  sacrifice  at 
the  shrine.     This  amiable  woman  became  in    1776  the  wife  of  Mr.  Richard 


*  Maria  Margaret  Clavering  married  th3  seventh  Baron  Napier  of  Merchig- 
town,  and  died  at  Enfield  in  1821.  She  was  the  mother  of  a  Governor  of  M.adras. 
Barwell  certainly  made  very  definite  advances.  See  his  letter  of  May  18th,  ITrii, 
in  Stephen's  Nuncomar  and  I mpey,  Vol.  II,  pp  289-90. 


116  GUIDE    TO    CALCUTTA. 

Barwell,  who  will  long  live  in  the  remembrance  of  his  numerous  friends  who 
benefited  from  the  means  of  serving  them  which  his  eminent  station  so  amply 
afforded  him,  and  which,  to  do  justice  to  his  liberal  mind,  he  never  neglected 
the  opportunity  to  evince  where  the  solicitation  had  with  propriety  been 
applied.  To  this  lady's  credit  also  may  be  recorded  that  those  who  had  been 
partial  to  her  were  ever  treated  with  esteem  and  gratitude.  Much  to  their 
regret  the  splendour  of  her  situation  lasted  not  long  ;  the  pain  of  cliild-bearing 
with  the  effects  of  the  climate  brought  on  a  delicate  constitution,  a  decay 
which  too  soon  moved  this  fair  flower  out  of  the  world.  Of  all  her  sex  I  never 
observed  one  who  possessed  more  the  art  of  conciliating  her  admirers  equal  to 
herself.  As  a  proof  thereof  we  sixteen  met  in  her  livery  one  public  ball  even- 
ing, viz.,  a  pea-green  French  frock  trimmed  with  pink  silk  and  chained  lace 
with  spangles,  when  each  of  us  to  whom  the  secret  of  her  intended  dress  had 
been  communicated  buoyed  himself  up  with  the  hope  of  being  the  favoured 
happy  individual. 

'  "The  innocent  deception  which  had  been  practised  soon  appeared  evident, 
and  the  man  of  most  sense  was  the  first  to  laugh  at  the  ridicule  which  attached 
to  him.  I  recollect  the  only  revenge  which  we  exacted  was  for  each  to  have 
the  honour  of  a  dance  with  her,  and  as  minuets,  cotillions,  reels,  and  country 
dances  were  then  in  vogue,  with  ease  to  herself  she  obligingly  complied  to  all 
concerned,  and  in  reward  for  such  kind  complaisance  we  gravely  attended 
her  home,  marching  by  the  side  of  her  palankeen  regularly  marslialled  in 
procession  of  two  and  two."     An  old  vyriter  quoted  hy  Busteed. 

To  adopt  Barwell's  house*  to  the  requirements  of  an 
Orphanage  many  structural  changes  must  have  been  made, 
but  the  old  ball-room,  with  its  glittering  chandeliers, 
remains  practically  untouched. 

■  Perhaps  the  only  room  now  remaining  in  Calcutta,  in  which  all  this  grace 
and  comeliness  were  often  gathered  together,  is  the  ball-room  of  Richard  Bar- 
well's  garden-house  at  Alipore.  What  generations  of  exiled  feet — the  gayest 
and  lightest — have  not  disported  on  this  floor!  The  very  lamps  and  wall- 
8hades  which  were  lighted  in  the  consulship  of  Warren  Hastings  are  sometimes 
lighted  still.  What  stately  minuets  and  cotillions  and  romping  country- 
dances  long  obsolete,  have  those  old  lustres  not  looked  down  on.  Who  does 
not  wish  that  they  could  speak  of  the  past  and  its  faded  scenes  and  tell  us 
stories  of  the  merry  'ladies  and  gentlemen  of  the  Settlement' — of  their  froUcs 
and  their  wooings — their  laughter  and  their  love."  Busteed  :  Echoes  of  Old 
Calcutta. 

The  Orphan  Institution  of  the  "Bengal  Military  Orphan 
Society"  had  a  two-fold  aim  in  view,  viz.,  "to  educate 
and  settle  in  life  children  of  both  sexes,  of  officers  and  sol- 
diers on  the  Bengal  Establishment."  The  Lower  Orphan 
School,  which  "was  situated  at  Alipore,  and  at  a  consi- 
derable distance  from  Kidderpore  House,  ' '  was  intended 


*  The  present  house  has  no  southern  verandah,  but  I  believe  this  is  because 
the  verandah  has  been  built  in,  and  the  original  back  of  the  house  has  been 
tnrned  into  the  present  front. 


i 


OLD    OKPHANAGES.  117 

for  all  children,  whether  orphans  or  not,  of  non-commis- 
sioned officers  and  private  soldiers  belonging  to  the  Honour- 
able Company's  Bengal  Establishment.  This  institu- 
tion disappeared  long  years  ago,  but  so  late  as  1902  there 
were  a  few  wards  living  in  what  was  originally  the  hospi- 
tal of  the  Upper  School. 

The  Upper  School  itself  was,  strictly  speaking,  a  provi- 
dential and  not,  as  there  is  now  a  tendency  to  assume,  a 
charitable  institution.  It  was  founded  in  August  1782 
by  Major  Kirkpatrick,  and  its  first  home,  until  persistent 
outbreaks  of  ophthalmia  called  for  a  change,  was  in  a 
building  at  Howrah,  which  in  Heber's  day  became  "the 
Episcopal  Chapel,"  and  in  later  years  the  Magistrate's 
Cutchery.  In  1786,  Daniel  Brown,  a  Cambridge  under- 
graduate who  had  been  promised  the  post  of  Superintend- 
ent, on  condition  that  before  leaving  for  India  he  would 
receive  the  Sacraments  of  Holy  Marriage  and  Holy  Orders, 
arrived  and  assumed  charge  of  the  Orphanage,  but  was 
dismissed  by  the  Managers  in  August  1788  on  the  score  of 
his  over-occupation  as  a  Missionary  and  a  Garrison  Chap- 
lain. The  Boys'  Orphanage,  situated  on  the  site  of  the 
present  Army  Clothing  EstabHshment  in  Belvedere 
Road,  was  in  1846  amalgamated  with  St.  Paul's  School  in 
the  Chowringhi  Road.  The  girls  are  still  in  possession. 
After  the  Mutiny  and  the  consequent  change  from  John 
Company  to  the  Government  of  India,  the  latter  took 
over  the  Trusteeship  of  the  Bengal  Military  Orphan  Fund. 
The  Mazuchelli  Bazar,  a  good  deal  of  the  Zoological 
Garden  and  the  Meteorological  Observatory  have  also 
been  carved  out  of  the  estate.  In  the  present  year  another 
long  strip  of  the  Orphanage  grounds  has  been  added, 
under  Lord  Curzon's  authority,  to  the  Zoological  Gardens. 

The  Southern  part  of  the  Kidderpore  Park  is  about  to 
be  handed  over  to  the  public  by  Lord  Curzon  to  be  added 
to  the  grounds  of  the  Zoological  Gardens.  As  soon  as 
the  number  of  orphans  (now  15)  is  reduced  to  13,  the 
house  and  remainder  of  the  grounds  will  be  similarly 
utilised  for  the  benefit  of  the  community.  The  surviving 
inmates  being  moved  to  a  suitable  residence  elsewhere. 

In  the  entrance  hall  there  is  an  interesting  picture  in 
which  Major  Kirkpatrick  is  introduced. 


118  GUIDE    TO    CALCUTTA. 

Proceeding  on  our  way  down  the  Diamond  Harbour 
Road,  after  several  turnings  to  the  left  we  pass  the  Budge- 
Budge  Road.     A  famous  duel  was  once  fought  here. 

Charles  Oravt  to h^ Cousin  .Jnmex. 

Calcutta,   26th   May.   1775. 

"About  a  month  ago  these  two  gentlemen  were  arguing  at  the  Revenuf 
Board  about  the  propriety  of  Mr. Barwell's  holding  farms  for  his  own  benefit. 
The  General  [Claveriug]  asked:   "Well,  but,  Mr.  Barwell,  how  do  you  hold 
this  act  to  be  consistent  with  your  oath  of  fidelity  to  the  Company?"     Mr. 
Barwell,  after  some  recollection,  answered:    '  'Whoever  says  that  I  have  done 
anything  inconsistent  with  my  oath  to  theCompany  is  a  rascal  and  a  scoundrel." 
"These  are  strong  terms,  Mr.  Barwell,  very  strong,"  replied  the  General. 
They  were  then  going  to  put  it  to  the  vote,  whether  he  had  not  broke  his  oafh, 
but  this,  after  some    discourse,   was   overruled.     The   town   remained  long 
ignorant  of  the  altercation, and  even  the  members  were  not  at  first  in  the  secret 
of  what  followed.     In  the  evening  the  General  sent  Mr.  Barwell  a  message  to 
meet  him  next  morning.     Mr.  Barwell  agreed  to  the  meeting,  but  desired  it 
might  be  put  off  two  days  until  he  should  settle  his  affairs.     It  is  said  he  after- 
wards asked  two  days  more,  finding  the  first  delay  not  sufficient.     The  fifth 
day   they    met   at  five  in   the  morning   on   the  new  road  to  Budge-Budge, 
without  seconds.     They  walked  on  a  good  way  until  they  found   a   conve- 
nient  place.     "What    distance    do   you    choose.    Sir?"  says  Mr.  Barwell. 
"The  nearer  the  better."     They  stood    vidthin    eight   yards.     ••  Will    you 
fire.    Sir  ?"     said    the    General.     "No,    Sir,  you  will  please  to  fire  first." 
"Is  your  pistol  cock'd,  Mr.  Barwell?"    "Yes,   Sir,"  "You  will  give  me  leave 
to  look.  Sir;  I  did  not  hear  the  drawing  of  the  cock."     He  advanced,  satisfied 
himself,  looked  at  the  priming  too,  then  retired  to  his  stand  and  fired.     Th^ 
ball  passed  between  Mr.  Barwell's  thighs,    grazing    the   inner   part    of  om-. 
"Fire,  Sir,"  said  the  General.     "No,  Sir,   you  will  give  me  leave  to  declinr 
that.     I  came  here  in  obedience  to  your  summons,  and  think  I  may  now  with- 
out any  imputation  to  my  character  declare  that  I  have  no  enmity,  and  that 
I  am  sorry  for  what  is  past."      "Sir,  I  must  insist  upon  you  firing;  if  you  con- 
tinue to  refuse,  you  will  oblige  me  to  fire  again."     Mr.  Barwell  repeated  his 
reluctance  to  carry  the  matter  further,  and  his  desire  to  end  it  by  accommo- 
dation in  such  a  manner  as  should  be  satisfactory  to  the  General.     .\t  length 
the  latter  yielded  so  far.  with  many  conditional  clauses,  as  to  consent  to  a(  - 
cept  of  an  apology  before  the  same  persons,  and  in  the  same  place  where  the 
affront  had  been  given,  stipulating  particularly  that,  if  the  apology  should  not 
be  entirely  satisfactory,  it  should  pass  for  nothing.    Upon  this  they  returned, 
the  apology  was  made  in  the  most  ample  manner,  and  the  affair  thus  termi- 
nated.     You  will  probably  hear  many  accounts,  but  you  may  depend  upon 
the  substance  of  this  to  be  genuine. 

The  reader  will  not,  of  course,  take  the  trouble  to  \asit 
the  Budge-Budge  Eoad  merely  to  recall  so  shght  a  memory, 
but  will  turn  up  the  Alipur  Lane,  and  passing  the  lines  of  an 
Indian  Army  Regiment — once  the  old  Calcutta  Militia 
Lines — make  for  Alipur,  the  present  day  representative 
of  what  Garden  Reach  was  in  the  days  of  our  grand  parents- 


ALIPORE.  lli^ 


The  Zoological  Gardens. 


The  Zoological  Gardens  are  on  our  left  as  we  turn 
towards  the  Zeerut  Bridge.  The  scheme  for  this  institu- 
tion was  first  mooted  in  1867  by  Dr.  Fayrer,  c.s.i.  Six 
years  later,  Mr.  L.  Schwendler  succeeded  in  pursuading 
the  Asiatic  and  Agri- Horticultural  Societies  to  take  up  the 
matter,  and  in  187  5  the  Government  of  Bengal  carried  the 
proposals  of  the  Societies  into  effect.  Disagreeable  bustees, 
which  heretofore  choked  the  approach  to  Belvedere,  were 
removed,  and  their  site  together  with  a  large  slice  of  the  com- 
pound of  Kidderpore  House,  was  converted  into  gardens. 
The  gardens  were  formally  opened  by  King  Edward  VII. 
at  that  time  Prince  of  Wales,  on  January  1st,  1876.  The 
reader  will  prefer  to  pay  "the  Zoo"  the  honour  of  a  spe- 
cial visit  or  visits,  as  there  is  a  good  deal  to  be  seen  there, 
and  an  hour  or  more  will  be  pleasantly  spent  in  inspecting 
the  collection.  The  tigers  are  in  their  classical  home  land, 
and  are  usually  in  good  condition.  The  lions,  however,  do 
not  seem  to  appreciate  Calcutta.  In  the  present  year  the 
"Zoo"  has  been  still  further  expanded  by  the  inclusion  of 
another  strip  of  the  Orphanage  compound. 

Belvedkre. 

On  leaving  the  Gardens,  we  proceed  to  Belvedere — 
the  palace  of  the  Lieutenant-Governors  of  Bengal.  It  is 
exceedingly  difficult  to  form  any  opinion  as  to  the  origin  of 
this  house.  Mr.  A.  K.  Ray  informs  us  that  it  was  commenc- 
ed in  1700  by  Prince  Azim-us-Shan.  The  Revd.  J.  Long, 
writing  of  the  year  1762,  tells  us  that  Warren  Hastings,  then 
(1761 — 4)  a  member  of  the  Council  had  "his  house  in  the 
then  jungles  of  Alipur,  "  and  that  "his  house  at  Belvedere 
was  then  in  rural  solitude  of  AUpur.  "  But  the  Revd.  J. 
Long,  as  all  who  have  consulted  his  writings,  know  so  well, 
is  a  most  provoking  authority.  A  little  further  on  he 
writes  as  if  Warren  Hastings'  Garden  House  was  to  the 
west  of,  and,  therefore,  distinct  from  Belvedere.  The 
present  writer  inclines  to  the  belief  that  before  the  ad- 
vent of  the  great  Proconsul,  Belvedere  was  the  garden- 
house  of  Mr.  Frankland,  the  official  who  in  1758  conducted 
a  survey  of  the  South  Pergunahs  of  Calcutta. 


120  GUIDE   'i'O    CALCUTTA. 

'  "Most  certainly  the  purchasing  of  Mr.  Frankland's  house  for,  as  you  men- 
tion, the  refreshment  of  the  (governor  when  the  multiplicity  of  business  will 
permit  him,  to  leave  the  town  at  the  expense  of  the  Company's  P.s.  10,000  is, 
notwithstanding  your  allegation  to  the  contrary,  a  superfluous  charge,  and 
must  as  in  reason  it  ought,  be  borne  by  the  Governor  at  his  own  private  ex- 
pense; thisis  the  more  necessary  and  reasonable,  since  the  noble  appointments 
settled  upon  the  Governor  by  our  directions  last  season,  which  are  intended  to 
take  in  all  the  expenses  he  may  be  put  to  on  the  Company's  account." 
Court's  Letter,  Feb.  19,  1762. 

In  the  proceedings  of  the  Council  of  June  20,  1763,  we 
find  permission  given  to  Hastings  to  "build  a  bridge  over 
the  Callighaut  (Kalighat)  Nullah  on  the  road  to  his  Garden 
House."  I  incUne  to  the  belief  that  Hastings'  Garden 
House  at  Alipur  in  1763  could  not  have  been  Belvedere 
(he  was  not  then  Governor),  but  another  old  residence 
still  standing  in  Judge's  Court  Road.  In  1764  Hastings 
sold  a  house  for  "the  entertainment  of  the  Nabab." 
Verelst,  Governor  of  Bengal  from  January  1767  to 
December  1769,  and  Cartier,  Governor,  December  1769 
to  April  1772,  resided  at  Belvedere,  but  can  we  say 
the  present  Belvedere  ?  Stavornius,  the  Dutch  Admiral, 
writes  : — 

[February  26th,  1770.]  "At  6  o'clock  in  the  evening  Mr.  Cartier  came  to 
fetch  the  Director  V,  and  his  company  to  ride  to  his  country  seat  Belvedere, 
about  two  Dutch  miles  from  Calcutta,  where  we  were  entertained  with  an 
excellent  concert  by  amateurs  and  an  elegant  supper." 

Mrs.  Fay  who  visited  Mrs.  Hastings  at  Belvedere  House 
in  May  1780,  estimated  the  journey  from  Calcutta  at  five 
miles — '  'a  great  distance  at  this  season." 

"The  house,"  she  writes,  "is  a  perfect  gem  ;  most  superbly  fitted  up  with 
all  that  unbounded  aflfluence  can  display  ;  but  still  deficient  in  that  simple  ele- 
gance which  the  wealthy  so  seldom  attain,  fron^  the  circumstance  of  not  being 
obliged  to  search  for  effect  without  much  cost,  which  those  moderately  rich 
find  to  be  indispensable.     The  grounds  are  said  to  be  very  tastefully  laid  out." 

But  was  the  house  where  Mrs.  Fay  paid  court  to  "the 
elegant  Marian' '  the  former  home  of  Verelst  and  Cartier  ? 
Apparently  not,  or  only  so  in  part,  for  Macrabie,  Francis' 
brother-in-law  and  secretary,  writes  in  February  1778  : 

"Colonel  Monson  dined  with  us  in  the  country  :  after  dinner  v.e  walked  over 
to  the  Governor's  new-built  house.  'Tis  a  pretty  thing  but  very  small,  tho' 
airy  and  lofty.  These  milk-white  buildings  with  smooth  shiny  surface  utterly 
blind  one." 


BELVEDERE.  121 

The  truth  is  Hastings  had  a  very  lucrative  mania  for 
house  building  and  house  selling  :  hence  the  difficulty  of 
determining  his  residences  in  Calcutta  and  Alipur.  In  Feb- 
ruary 1780,  he  sold  Belvedere  to  Major  Tolly,  the  construct- 
or of  the  Nala.  Tolly,  after  residing  at  Belvedere,  leased  it 
to  W.  A.  Brooke,  and  after  Tolly's  death,  subject  to  a  year- 
ly rent  of  £350  on  that  lease,  it  was  in  1802  put  up  for  auc- 
tion "by  order  of  Eichard  Johnson,  Esq.,  Attorney  to  the 
Administrator  of  the  late  Colonel  WilUam  Tolly.  "  The 
property  passed  through  the  hands  of  John  Brereton  Birch 
(1810),  Sambhu  Chunder  Mukerji  (1824)  and  James  Mac- 
killop  (1841).  In  1823  it  was  occupied  by  Genl.  the 
Hon'ble  Sir  Edward  Paget,  k.c.b.,  Commander-in-Chief 
in   India. 

■"1  reviewed  the  Artillery  (at  Diim  Dum),  which   engaged  me  till  8-0  a.m. 

after  which  I  returned  to  Belvedere,  and  for  the  first  time  made  up  my 

mosquito-room My  mosquito-room  answers  admirably,  and  my  house- 
maids  understand    their   business   so    well    that  I  have  only  been  disturbed 

by  one  villain  of    a  mosquito  since  I    have  slept  at  Belvedere I  had 

my  first  grand  dinner  at  Belvedere  yesterday,  and  extremely  good  and 
well-served  it  was."  Letters  and  Memorials  of  Genl.  the  Hon'ble  Sir  Edtvard 
Paget,  K.  C.  B. 

In  a  minute  dated  September  24,  1854,  Lord  Dalhousie 
asked  the  Court  of  Directors  "that  a  furnished  house 
should  be  found  for  the  Lieutenant-Governor  of  Bengal, 
as  is  done  for  the  Governor-General  and  for  the  Governors 
of  the  Presidencies,  "  adding,  "  I  wish  it  to  be  clearly 
understood  that  I  do  so  without  the  knowledge  of  the 
Lieutenant-Governor."  Belvedere,  which  had  in  1841  come 
into  the  hands  of  Charles  Kobert  Prinsep,  the  Advocate- 
General,  was  therefore  purchased.  The  subsequent  addi- 
tions, alterations  and  embellishments  are  authoritatively 
recorded  by  Mr.  Buckland. 

'  -The  house  has  been  enlarged  and  improved  from  time  to  time  by  succes- 
sive Lieutenant-Governors.  Its  architecture  is  of  a  free  Italian  renaissance 
style,  developed  on  an  ordinary  Anglo-Indian  building.  The  construi.tion  of 
a  verandah  on  the  east  side.and  the  reconstruction  of  a  more  commodious  west 
wing,  were  carried  out  in  1868-70  by  Sir  W.  Grey.  Alterations  and  additions 
to  other  parts  of  the  building  were"  effected,  and  boundary  fences  to  the  new 
grounds  and  a  guard-room  were  constructed.  Sir  A.  Eden  added  the  whole 
oi  the  centre  main  facade,  with  the  steps,  on  the  north  side,  Mr.  E.  J.  Martin 
being  the  Government  architect;  he  also  had  the  wooden  floor  put  to  the  centre 
ball-room.  In  Sir  S.  Bayley's  time  the  wooden-glazed  dining-room  was  made 
on  the  north-east  side  of  the  house.     Sir  C.  Elliot  had  the  rooms  on  the  upper 


12*2  GUIDK    TO    CALCUTTA. 

storey  of  the  west  wing  constructed,  and  the  archway  leading  into  the  draw- 
ing-room from  the  main  staircase  substituted  for  a  door.  Sir  A.  Mackenzie  in- 
troduced the  electric  lighting.  iSirW.  Grey  had  the  honour  of  receiving  H.  R.H. 
the  Duke  of  Edinburgh  at  a  Ball  and  Reception  at  Belvedere  in  December 
1869 — January  1870.  Sir  R.  Temple  had  th  ?  honour  of  entertaining  the  King 
Emperor,  then  H.  R.  H.  the  Prince  of  Wales,  at  dinner  and  a  garden-party  in 
December  1875,  and  Sir  S.  Bayley  of  giving  a  Ball  to  H.  R.  H.  the  late  Duke 
of  Clarence  :  Sir  C.  Elliot  entertained  the  Czarewitch  of  Russia  at  a  dinner  and 
evening  party  in  January,  1891.  It  was  on  this  oocasion  that  the  sudden 
explosion  of  a  sodawater  bottle  created  some  momentary  alarm,  which  was 
promptly  met  by  the  ready  wit  of  the  hostess.  The  Russian  stafif  were  much 
more  alarmed  by  the  incident  than  the  Czarewitch  himself."  C.  E.  Buck- 
land  :     Bengal  under  the  Lieutenant-Oovernnrs.    Vol.  II,  pp.    10 — 9 — 1020. 

The  reader  having  inspected  the  palace  of  the  Lieute- 
nant-Governors, may  perhaps  welcome  a  few  words  about 
its  honoured  occupants. 

1833.     By  the  Government  of  India    the  Governor-General  of  Bengal  be- 
came  "Governor-General    of   India  and    Governor    of    Bengal."     He    was     | 
authorized,  when  occasion  required,  to  appoint  a  Deputy-Governor  but  on  no 
additional  salary.     The  following  have  served  as  Deputies  :  — 

Alexander  Ross,  Senior  Oct.  20,     1837. 

Col.  WiUiam  Morison,  c.b.,  Madras  Artillery       "Oct.   15,     1838. 
Thos.  Campbell  Robertson  June   17,     1839. 

Sir  Thos.  Herbert  Maddock,  Kt.,  c.b.  <     cFt     li'     1848' 

Major-General  Sir  J.  H.  Littler,  o.c.b.  March  12,     1849. 

Hon'ble  J.  A.  Dorin  Dec.    9,     1853. 

1853.  In  renewing  the  charter  of  the  E.  I.  Company,  Parliament,  at  th& 
special  request  of  Lord  Dalhousie,  created  the  Lieutenant- Governorship  of 
Bengal.  The  Lieutenant-Governor  of  Bengal  has  precedence  after  the  Gover- 
nors of  Madras  and  Bombay  and  the  President  of  the  Governor- General's 
Council,  and,  when  in  his  own  province,  before  the  Commander-in-Chief. 
Here  is  a  list  of  the  distinguished  men  who  have  held  this  high  office. 

Sir  Frederick  James  Halliday,  k.c.b. 

Sir  John  Peter  Grant,  k.c.b.,  g.c.m.g. 

Sir  Cecil  Beadon,  k.c.s.i. 

Sir  William  Grey,  k.c.s.i. 

Sir  George  Campbell,  m.p.,  k.c.s.i.,   d.c.l. 

The  Right  Hon'ble  Sir  Richard  Temple,  Barfc., 

M.P.,    C.S.I.,    C.I.B.,    D.O.L.,    LL.l).,  T.R.S. 

''''■      MayL     gf„7,S:  }^^«  hon'ble  Sir  Ashley  Eden,  k.c.s.X. 
1879.     July  15th  to  Dec.   1.     Sir  Steicart  Cohin  Bayley,    k.o.s.i.» 

C.I.E.,  Officiating. 
1882.     April  24.  Sir  Augustus  Rivers  Thompson,  k.c.s.i.,  c.i.e. 
1885.     Aug.    11    to  Sept.    17.     Horace  Abel  Cockerell,  C.S.L,     Offl' 

dating. 
1887.     April  2.     Sir  Stewart  Colvin  Bayley,  k.c.s.i.,  c.i.s. 
1890.     Dec.  17.     Sir  Charles  Alfred  Elliott,  k.c.s.i. 
1893.     May    30.    to   Nov.   30.     Sir     Antoni/      Patrick    MacdonneU, 

O.C.S.I.,  Officiating. 


1854. 

May        1. 

1859. 

May       1. 

1862. 

April  23. 

1867. 

April  23. 

1871. 

March   1. 

1874. 

April     9. 

THE   HASTINGS — FRANCIS    DUEL.  123 

1895.     Dec.  18  to  April  7,  1898.     Sir  Alexander  Mackenzie,  K.r.s.i 

1897.  June  22  to  Dec.  1897.     Sir  Charles  Cecil  Sterfns,  K.C.S.I., 

Officiating. 

1898.  Sir  John  Woodburn. 

1903.  Sir  John  Bourdillon, 

1904.  Sir  Andrew  Eraser. 

This  will  be  the  fitting  place  to  recall  the  memory  of 
the  historical  duel  fought  in  the  early  morning  of  August 
the  17th,  1780,  between  Warren  Hastings  and  Sir  Philip 
Francis.  At  his  wits'  end  for  money,  dogged  by  a  relentless 
and  unscrupulous  opposition,  Hastings  determined  to  bring 
matters  to  a  crisis  by  penning  the  celebrated  minute  of 
July  3rd  in  which  he  wrote  of  Francis  :  "I  judge  of  his 
public  conduct  by  my  experience  of  his  private,  which  I 
have  found  void  of  truth  and  honour.  This  is  a  severe 
charge,  but  temperately  and  deUberately  made."  A  duel 
was  the  result.  Lieut-Colonel  Pearse,  Hastings'  second, 
tell  us  what  took  place  : 

••  The  next  morning,  Thursday,  August  17, 1  waited  on  Mr.  Hastings  iu  my 
chariot  to  carry  him  to  the  place  of  appointment.  When  we  arrived  there 
we  found  Mr.  Francis  and  Colonel  Watson  walking  together,  and  therefore 
soon  after  we  alighted,  I  looked  at  my  watch  and  mentioned  aloud  that  it  was 
half-past  five,  and  Francis  looked  at  his  and  said  it  was  near  six.  This  induced 
me  to  tell  him  that  my  watch  was  set  by  my  astronomical  clock  to  solar  time. 
The  place  they  were  at  was  very  improper  for  the  business;  it  was  the  road 
leading  to  Alipore,  at  the  crossing  of  it  through  a  double  row  of  trees  that 
formerly  had  been  a  walk  of  Belvedere  Garden,  on  the  western  side  of  the 
house.  Whilst  Colonel  Watson  went,  by  the  desire  of  Mr.  Francis,  to  fetch 
his  pistols,  that  gentleman  proposed  to  go  aside  from  the  road  into  the  walk  ; 
but  Mr.  Hastings  disapproved  of  the  place,  because  it  was  full  of  weeds  and 
dark.  The  road  itself  was  next  mentioned,  but  was  thought  by  everybody 
ton  public,  as  it  was  near  riding  time,  and  people  might  want  to  pass  that 
way  :  it  was  therefore  agreed  to  walk  towards  Mr.  Barwell's  house  (the  present 
Kidderpore  Orphanage  Asylum)  on  an  old  road  that  separated  his  ground 
from  Belvedere  (since  the  official  residence  of  the  Lieutenant-Governor  of 
Bengal),  and  before  he  (we?)  had  gone  far.  a  retired  dry  spot  was  chosen  as  a 
proper   place. 

As  soon  as  the  suitable  place*  was  selected,  I  proceeded  to  load 
Mr.  Hastings'  pistols;  those  of  Mr.  Francis  were  already  loaded.  When 
I    had  delivered  one  to  Mr.  Hastings,  and  Colonel  Watson  had  done  the  same 

*  Dr.  Busteed  writes  :  "  The  place  originally  fixed  for  the  meeting  probably 
corresponds  to  the  second  gate  (from  the  western  side)  leading  into  Belvedere 
compound.  .  .  .  Unless  records  or  trustworthv  tradition  point  to  another 
locality  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  the  compound  of  No.  5.  Alipore  Boad, 
hold.^  near  its  northern  boundary  the  site  of  this  memorable  duel.  Long,  on 
the  other  hand,  says  that  the  site  was  marked  by  two  trees  called  "the 
trees  of  destruction,"  notorious  for  the  duels  fought  under  their  shade.  In  1822 
a  duel  wn  fousrht  between  the  journalist  J.  Silk  Buckingha.n  and  a  Mr.  Thomas 
tind-r  ■'  the  great  trees,  "  liut  that  was  on  the  race  course. 


124  GUIDK    TO    CALCUTTA. 

to  Mr.  Francis,  finding  the  gentlemen  were  toth  unacquainted  with  the 
modes  usually  observed  on  those  occasions,  I  took  the  liberty  to  tell  them 
that  if  they  would  fix  their  distance,  it  was  the  business  of  the  seconds  to 
measure  it.  Colonel  Watson  immediately  mentioned  that  Fox  and  Adam  had 
taken  fourteen  paces,  and  he  recommended  the  distance.  Jlr.  Hastings  ob- 
served it  was  a  great  distance  for  pistols  ;  but  as  no  actual  objection  was  made 
to  it,  Watson  measured  and  I  counted.  When  the  gentleman  had  got  to  their 
ground,  Mr.  Hastings  asked  Mr.  Francis  if  he  stood  before  the  line  or  behind  it, 
and  being  told  behind  the  mark,  he  said  he  would  do  the  same,and  immediate- 
ly took  his  stand.  I  then  told  them  it  was  a  rule  that  neither  of  them  were  to 
quit  the  ground  till  they  had  discharged  their  pistols,  and  Colonel  Watson 
proposed  that  both  should  fire  together  without  taking  any  advantage.  Mr. 
Hastings  asked  if  he  meant  they  ought  to  fire  by  word  of  command,  and  was 
told  he  only  meant  they  should  fire  together  as  nearly  as  could  be.  The 
preliminaries  were  all  agreed  to,  and  both  parties  presented;  but  Mr.  Francis 
raised  his  hand  and  again  came  down  to  the  present ;  he  did  so  a  second  time, 
when  he  came  down  to  his  present — which  was  the  third  time  of  doing  so — 
he  drew  his  trigger,  but  his  powder  being  damp,  the  pistol  did  not  fire.  Mr. 
Hastings  came  down  from  his  present  to  give  Mr.  Francis  time  to  rectify  his 
priming,  and  this  was  done  out  of  a  cartridge  with  which  I  supplied  him  upon 
finding  they  had  no  spare  powder.  Again,  the  gentlemen  took  their  stands, 
both  presented  together,  and  Mr.  Francis  fired.  Mr.  Hastings  did  the  same 
at  the  distance  of  time  equal  to  the  counting  of  one,  two,  three  distinctly,  but 
not  greater.  His  shot  took  place.  Mr.  Francis  staggered,  and,  in  attempting 
to  sit  down,  he  fell  and  said  he  was  a  dead  man.  Mr.  Hastings  hearing  this, 
cried  out.  "Good  God  !  I  hope  not,'  and  immediately  went  up  to  him,  as  did 
Colonel  Watson,  but  I  ran  to  call  the  servants." 

When  Francis  was  shot.  Colonel  Pearse  says :  —  "I  ran  to  call  the  servants 
and  to  order  a  sheet  to  be  brought  to  bind  up  the  wound.  I  was  absent  about 
two  minutes.  On  my  return  I  found  Mr.  Hastings  standing  by  Mr.  Francis, 
but  Colonel  Watson  was  gone  to  fetch  a  cot  or  palanquin  from  Belvedere  to 
carry  him  to  town.  When  the  sheet  was  brought,  Mr.  Hastings  and  myself 
bound  it  around  his  body,  and  we  had  the  satisfaction  to  find  it  (sic)  was  not 
in  a  vital  part,  and  Mr.  Francis  agreed  with  me  ib  opinion  as  soon  as  it  was 
mentioned.  I  offered  to  attend  him  to  town  in  my  carriage,  and  Mr.  Has- 
tings urged  him  to  go,  as  my  carriage  was  remarkably  easy.  Mr.  Francis 
agreed  to  go,  and  therefore,  when  the  cot  came,  we  proceeded  towards  the 
chariot,  but  were  stopped  by  a  deep,  broad  ditch,  over  which  we  could  not 
carry  the  cot :  for  this  reason  Mr.  Francis  was  conveyed  to  Belvedere." 

Leaving  Belvedere  we  will  turn  once  more  into  Alipore 
Road.  In  1756,  after  the  siege  of  Calcutta,  Suraj-ud-Daula 
changed  the  name  of  the  place  to  Alinagar,  and  the 
seat  of  his  principal  agent,  probably  at  Belvedere,  he  named 
Alipore.  Within  living  memory  Alipore  included  the 
most  productive  arrowroot  fields  in  the  world. 

The  Agri-Horticultural  Society. 

On  our  left  we  find  the  grounds  of  the  Agri- Horticul- 
tural Society  in  which  our  readers  who  love  the  gentle 
art  of  gardening  will  take  a  lively  interest.    These  lands 


HASTINGS    HOUSK,  125 

together  with  the  houses  north  of  Judges'  Court  Road, 
belonged  in  1891  to  Sir  Charles  Inihoff,  a  descendant  of 
the  second  Mrs.  Hastings.  A  house  in  this  direction  was 
occupied  at  one  time  by  Sir  C.  T.  Metcalfe. 

'His  house  at  Alipore  was  surrounded  by  spacious  park- like  grounds,  and 
at  early  morning  he  might  sometimes  be  seen  riding  in  topboots,  an  article 
of  equipment  in  which  he  always  rejoiced,  on  a  plump  white  horse,  with  j, 
groom  on  either  side  of  him." 

In  1864  the  house  which  Sir  C.  ImhofE  had  sold  to  the 
Nawab  Nazim  of  Murshidabad  and  was  known  as  the 
"Nabob  Shahib  ka  Kothi,  "  was  purchased  by  Sir  Cecil 
Beadon,  who  had  it  dismantled.  A  portion  of  the  lands 
were  added  to  Belvedere  and  the  remainder,  at  one  time 
set  apart  for  an  extension  of  the  Alipore  Cantonment, 
became  the  property  of  the  Agri-Horticultural  Society  of 
India,  founded  in  1820  by  the  famous  Baptist  Missionary 
of  Serampore — Dr.  Carey. 

Hastings  House. 

Turning  to  our  left  after  passing  the  Garden  and  again 
to  our  right  when  in  Judges'  Court  Road,  we  find 
Hastings  House,  which  was  Warren  Hastings'  private 
home  at  Ahpore.  The  first  Mrs.  Hastings — Mary,  the 
widow  of  Capt.  John  Buchanan,  one  of  the  Black  Hole 
victims — lies  buried  in  the  quaint  old  cemetery  at  Cossim 
Bazar  in  close  proximity  to  a  [great  ?]  grand-daughter  of 
the  patriot  Hampden.  Of  the  second  Mrs.  Hastings,  nee 
Anna  Maria  Appolonia  Chappusettin  much  has  been 
written.  In  1777  she  was  divorced  from  her  husband,  and 
on  August  8th,  married  to  Hastings,  under  her  maiden 
name,  at  some  private  residence. 

Hastings  House  and  grounds  was  bought  for  Govern- 
ment by  Lord  Curzon  in  1901  (being  about  to  be  sold 
for  building  purposes).  The  House  was  converted  into  a 
State  Guest  House,  in  which  the  Viceroy  entertains  the 
Indian  Princes  during  the  winter  season.  The  eldest  son 
and  heir  of  the  Amir  of  Afghanistan  was  accommodated 
here  as  a  State  Guest  in  1904.  Lord  Curzon  also  laid  out 
the  grounds  and  built  a  second  bungalow  for  the  con- 
venience of  the  guests.     Hastings  House  contains    a   big 


126  GUIDE    TO    CALCUTTA. 

pillared  durbar-room  which  is  used    for   the    exchange  of 
State  visits. 

It  is  curious  that  the  name  'Marian,'  by  which  Mrs.  Hastings  is  best 
known,  was  not  one  of  her  proper  Christian  names  at  all.  As  she  was  born  in 
1 747  she  was  thirty  years  old  at  the  time  of  her  second  marriage.  Hastings 
was  fifteen  years  older.  Francis  in  writing  to  his  wife  shortly  after  the 
marriage,  says  of  Airs.  Hastings  : — 'The  lady  herself  is  really  an  accom- 
plished woman.  She  behaves  with  perfect  propriety  in  her  new  station, 
and  deserves  every  mark  of  respect.  The  Governor-General's  wife, 
however,  does  not  seem  to  have  forgotten  the  humble  pie  that  Mrs.  Inihoff 
had  to  eat  in  the  matter  of  that  first  visit  to  Lady  Impey,  for  as  soon  as 
ever  her  position  is  assured  she  promptly  brings  the  Lady  Chief  Justice  tc 
her  bearings. ' '     Busteed  :  Echoes  of  Old  Calcutta,  p.  1 25. 

We  now  plunge  into  the  Belvedere  Road. 

"Tlie  portion  of  Belvedere  Road  south  of  the  Agricultural  Gardens   was  at 
one  time  called  'Love  Lane,'  at  the  special  request  (I  was  informed  by  the 
same   authority)   of   a   Collector   who   had  wooed  and  won   his  wife  there. 
Buckland  :  Op.  Ci<.,     Vol.11,     p.  1021. 

We  pass  in  turn  the  Ahpore  Cutchery,  the  Jail,  the  Army 
Clothing  Department,  and  at  last  come  to  Thackeray  Road. 

The  house  of  the  Collector  of  the  24-Pergunahs  is  of  con- 
siderable interest.  In  1775  Sir  Philip  Francis  purchased 
this  spot,  and  here  probably,  in  what  are  still  the  lower 
rooms  of  the  present  house,  he  "chummed"  with  Livius, 
Collings,  and  Macrabie.  Early  in  1776,  the  indefatigable 
Macrabie  writes  in  his  Diary. 

'  "At  the  Gardens,  being  Sunday,  we  wrote  special  hard  all  the  morning. 
Colonel  Monson,  Mr.  Farren  and  Mr.  Thompson  dined  with  us,  so  did  Major 
Tolly,  he  is  cutting  a  navigable  canal  close  by." 

Towards  the  end  of  1811,  Richmond  Thackeray  was 
appointed  Collector  of  the  24-Pergunahs  and  came  to  re- 
side at  what  was  once  Sir  P.  Francis'  "villa  inter  paludes." 
FTis  little  son,  the  future  novehst,  was  then  just  five 
months  old,  having  been  born  in  Calcutta  on  July  18th, 
1811.  There  is  a  tradition  that  Francis,  being  a  Roman 
Catholic,  built  the  ecclesiastical-looking  erection  now  used 
as  a  stable  in  the  neighbouring  compound.  Francis  was 
the  son  of  an  English  clergyman,  and  I  doubt  if  he  ever 
was  sufficiently  interested  in  religious  matters  to  go  to 
the  pains  of  a  secession,  which  would  have  cost  him  a 
seat  in  Parliament. 


ALIPORE   BRIDGE.  127 

i  We  now  pass  over  the  Alipore  Bridge.  On  our  left 
we  find  the  Mihtary  Burial-ground  opened  in  1732-3  :  on 
our  right  the  Lady  Canning  Memorial  Home,  where  dwell 
the  Clewer  Sisters  who  so  devotedly  watch  over  the  nursing 
in  the  Presidency  General  Hospital.  On  our  left  as  we 
turn  into  the  Circular  Road,  we  find  the  Military  Hos- 
pital,  once    the  Sudder  Adalat  Dewani  Courts. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

Calcutta's    oldest  Christian    Churches,  the  Neigh- 
bourhood OF  Dalhousie  Square. 

The  earliest  building  erected  in  Calcutta  as  a  place  for 
Christian  worship  must  have  been  the  chapel  from  which 
Sir  J.  Gouldsborough  so  ruthlessly  ousted  the  proselytising 
Portuguese  friars.  This  chapel,  probably  nothing  more  than 
a  thatched  building  with  walls  of  wood  and  mud,  must  have 
been  situated  within  the  area  of  the  future  old  Fort 
WiUiam  and  not,  as  usually  asserted,  on  the  site  of  the 
present  Roman  Catholic  Cathedral  in  Portuguese  Church 
Street   (Murghihatta). 

On  June  the  5th,  1709,  the  Sunday  after  Ascension  Day, 
the  first  English  Church  in  Calcutta  was  consecrated 
under  a  commission  granted  by  the  Bishop  of  London 
within  whose  jurisdiction  the  "Parish  of  Bengal"  was  then 
included.  It  was  dedicated  to  St.  Anne,  the  Mother  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin — and  presumably  the  patron  saint  of  the 
then  ruling  monarch — Queen  Anne.  A  minutely  detailed 
account  of  this  old  house  of  God  has  been  given  with  lov- 
ing care  by  Archdeacon  Hyde  in  his  Parochial  Annals  of 
Bengal*  and,  with  some  modifications,  his  reconstruction 
has  been  adopted  by  Mr.  Wilson  in  his  model  of  old  Fort 
William.  The  octagon  at  the  West  End  of  Writers'  Build- 
ings marks  the  site  of  the  Church.  In  the  siege  of  1756 
St.  Anne's  was  utterly  destroyed.  On  their  restoration,  the 
English  turned  the  Portuguese  clergy  out  of  the  settle- 
ment, and  for  some  years  the  Portuguese  Church  in  Mur- 
ghihatta—  "a  brick  building  dated  A.D.  1720,  designed  in 
the  plainest  Iberian  style,  and  lighted  by  windows  high  up 

*  The  reader  should  also  consult  Archdeacon  Ryde' a  The  Parish 'of  Bengal, 
and  his  Parochial  Annals  of  Bengal.  These  books  can  be  procured  at  MessrSi 
Thacker,  Spink  &  Co. 


ST.  John's  church.  129 

in  the  walls,  "  was  turned  to  English  use.  But  in  March, 
1760.  the  Council  reflected  upon  "  the  unwholesomeness 
and  dampness  of  the  Church  now  in  use,  as  well  as  the 
injustice  of  detaining  it  from  the  Portuguese."  In  conse- 
quence of  these  reflections  a  Chapel  was  fitted  up  in  the 
ruins  of  the  Old  Fort,  South  of  the  East  Gate  and  therefore 
in  close  proximity  to  the  site  of  the  Black  Hole.  The  then 
Governor  of  Bengal,  Holwell,  and  Mapletoff,  one  of  the 
Church  Wardens,  being  Freemasons,  the  Church  (probably 
on  June  24th,  1760)  was  with  all  Masonic  rites,  dedicated 
to  St.  John  the  Baptist,  who,  with  St.  John  the  Evangelist, 
is  a  Patron  Saint  of  the  Craft. 

The  erection  of  the  present  Church  of  St.  John  is  to  be 
assigned  mainly  to  Warren  Hastings  and  to  the  then 
Junior  Presidency  Chaplain,  W.  Johnson. 

la  1782  the  Governor- Gieneral  suggested  "to  the  Maharaja  Nobo  Krishna 
Deb,  a  wealthy  proprietor  who  then  held  the  tdlukddri  (a  sort  of  manorial 
lordship)  of  the  great  part  of  the  north  of  the  town,  to  give  the  gunpowder 
magazine  yard  as  a  site  for  the  Church.  The  Maharaja  at  once  adopted  the 
suggestion  and  made  over  the  disused  yard,  under  the  form  of  a  purchase  to 
Mr.  Warren  Hastings,  in  his  private  capacity,  for  the  Church.  The  Company 
had  sold  this  property  some  seven  or  eight  years  before.  It  represents  the 
whole  of  St.  John's  compound  east  of  the  Church  together  with  the  public 
footwfiy  beyond  the  compound  wall.  It  adjoined  the  old  cemetery  on 
the  west.  Godowns  then  as  now  skirted  it  on  the  south,  while  on  the  north, 
where  now  the  Englishman  press  incessantly  pulsates,  was  the  head  hospital- 
surgeon's  garden  and  a  private  house.  In  the  centre  was  the  magazine,  a 
massive  brick-building  of  60  feet  diameter,  and  exactly  where  the  new 
parsonage  house  is,  was  a  tank  roughly  described  as  a  hundred  feet  square. 

Stimulated  by  this  valuable  donation,  by  the  end  of  178.3  Chaplain  Johnson 
had  so  stirred  up  the  pubhc  spirit  and,  let  us  hope,  the  piety  of  the  town,  that 
he  had  no  less  than    Rs.  35,000  in  promises  towards  the  Church  building. 

On  the  strength  of  the  progress  made,  what  is  described  as  '  a  general  meet- 
ing of  the  inhabitants  of  Calcutta, '  assembled  in  St.  John's  Chapel  on  the  18th 
of  December,  1783,and  appointed  a  Building Oommittee.  Mr.  Warren  Hastings 
with  two  members  of  Council  headed  this  Committee,  and  several  times 
Mr.  Hastings  attended  its  meetings.  Four  days  later  he  formally  reported  to 
tlie  Committee  the  Maharaja's  gift, — but  he  still  retained  it  in  his  own  hands. 

None  of  the  Judges,  for  reasons  now  difficult  to  appreciate,  but  which  are 
stated  by  Sir  William  Jones  in  an  extant  letter,  contributed  toward.*!  the 
Ohuroh  building  fund,  though  one  of  them  gave  his  name  on  the  original  list 
of  subscribers.  After  the  general  meeting  the  work  went  on  apace."  Hyde: 
The  Parish  of  Bi'nqal. 

The  next  stage  was  alas  !  a  lottery  scheme  run  with  an 
earnestness  which  must  atone  for  its  want  of  moral  pro- 
priety by  Bartholomew  Harley,  one  of  the  Presidency 
Surgeons.      The   lottery,  which  amused  Calcutta  societv 

F,  GC  9 


130  GUIDE  TO  CALCUTTA. 

shocked   not  a  few,  and  invited  raillery  from   the  cynics, 
produced  over  36,800  Company's  rupees. 

The  design  for  St.  John's  Church*  was  the  work  of  Lieu- 
tenant Agg.  A  scheme  had  been  devised  for  bringing  stone 
from  the  ruins  of  Gour,  and  the  broken  tombs  of  Bengal's 
ancient  monarchs  were  to  provide  blue  marble  for  the  floor- 
ing. Archdeacon  Hyde  in  his  deeply  interesting  work. 
The  Parish  of  Bengal  was  unable  to  tell  us  how  far  these 
undertakings  were  carried  out.  The  following  letter, 
extracted  from  Mr.  Morris'  Life  of  Charles  Grant,  throws 
some  light  on  the  subject : — 

Malda,  9th  J  tine,  1784. 

"I  imagine  a  number  of  stones  sufficient  for  the  pavement  of  the  new  Church 
may  be  collected  from  the  ruins  of  Gour.  The  stones  are  of  various  sizes, 
many  from  a  foot  to  two  feet  long,  seven  inches  to  fifteen  broad,  and  seldom 
less  than  six  inches  deep.  They  ai'e  of  a  blue  colour ;  those  I  have  occasionally 
viewed  have  appeared  to  be  hewn  on  three  sides,  but  not  polished.  All  the 
remains  of  Gour  are  unquestionably  the  property  of  Government,  which  we 
may  dispose  of  at  pleasure,  as  was  the  custom  of  the  Subahdars. 

It  may  not  be  amiss  to  add  that  besides  the  stones  which  are  used  in  th« 
buildings  of  Gour.  there  are  among  the  ruins  a  few  huge  masses,  which  appear 
to  be  of  blue  marble,  and  have  a  fine  polish.  The  most  remarkable  of  these 
covered  the  tombs  of  the  Kings  of  Gour,  whence  they  were  removed  about 
fifteen  years  ago  (1768 — 9)  by  a  Major  Adams,  employed  in  surveying,  who 
intended  to  send  them  to  Calcutta;  but  not  being  able  to  weigh  them  into 
boats,  they  still  remain  on  the  banks  of  the  river.  Some  time  since  I  was 
desired  to  give  my  aid  in  procuring  blocks  of  marble  from  Gour  for  a  private 
use,  but  as  I  knew  not  how  to  comply,  unless  these  masses,  which  are  real 
curiosities,  were  broken  in  parts,  I  declined.  The  present  occasion  is,  how- 
ever, of  a  difiEerent  nature.  They  are  already  removed  from  their  origi- 
nal situations,  and  if  any  use  can  be  made  of  them  entire  for  the  church, 
they  would  there  be  best  preserved,  as  indeed  they  deserve  to  be.  There  are 
also  some  smaller  stones  polished  and  ornamented  with  flowers,  sculp- 
tures, fret-work,   etc.,   and   a  few   freestones   of  great  length." 

In  the  days  of  Lord  CornwaUis,  the  building  fund  was 
benefited  by  a  grant  of  Rs.  7,200  from  a  sale  of  captured 
contraband,  and  Rs.  5,600  from  the  melting  down  of 
silver  which  had  formerly  ornamented  a  State  Pavihon. 
On  St.  John  the  Baptist's  Day,  1781,  the  Church  was  con- 
secrated under  legal  documents  bearing  the  seal  of  the  Arch- 
bishop of  Canterbury  and  brought  out  to  India  by  the 
Governor-General  himself.     In  this  year,  St.  John's  must 


*  The  Bolid  stone  of  the  steeple  has  earned   tor  St.  John's,  its  native  name— 
PuUiU  Oirja. 


II 


St  John's  Church,  ^^'"-"^  ""^  Slupherd. 


ST.    JOHN'S    CHURCH.  131 

have  appeared  a  box-shaped  edifice  provided  with  a  some- 
what stunted  steeple-  The  chief  entrance  was  in  the 
middle  of  the  Eastern  Wall,  and  if  there  was  a  Western 
Porch  it  was  but  a  small  one.  The  North  and  South 
Porticoes  and  the  Sacrarum,  the  Palanquin  Slopes,  and 
Carriage  Koads  were  yet  to  be  provided. 

'  "If  3-ou  were  a  person  of  fashion  yet  did  not  choose  to  goto  church  in 
your  yellow  chariot,  you  would  arrive  in  a  neat  sedan-chair  gleaming  with 
black  lacquer.  You  brought  at  least  seven  servants  with  you — four  chair- 
bearers,  two  running  footmen,  with  spears  and  one  paiasol  bearer.  If  you 
had  oflScial  rank,  your  silver  mace  would  occupy  the  services  of  at  least 
another  runner.  Alighting  at  the  great  eastern  staircase  of  Chunai'  stone 
you  ascended  under  the  screen  of  your  huge  painted  parasol  to  a  tile-paved 
terrace  beneath  the  eastern  portico.  Here  a  sentry  with  a  firelock  guarded 
the  entrance.  Passing  him  j'ou  found  yourself  in  a  narrow  vestibule 
and  at  the  back  of  the  curved  recess  that  enclosed  the  altar  ;  to  the  right 
and  left  were  staircases  leading  up  to  the  doors  of  the  galleries.  (This 
vestibule  was  abolished  in  1811.)  Passing  beneath  one  of  the  staircases 
into  the  interior  you  saw  that  the  altar  was  set  in  an  apse  (not  vaulted  pro- 
bably) and  on  a  pavement  of  white  Chinese  marble.  Above  it  hung  the  great 
picture,  and  it  was  protected  by  a  curved  railing."  Hyde  :  Parish  of  Beji- 
gni,  pp.  109—110. 

Of  the  galleries  the  one  in  the  West  alone  remains.  Here 
were  accommodated  the  Singers,  the  Organ,  and  the  Chap- 
lain's family.  In  the  middle  of  the  Northern  Gallery  were 
the  bowed-out  pews  of  the  Governor-General  and  his  Coun- 
cil :  in  the  Southern  sat  the  judges  of  the  Supreme  Court. 
Behind  the  Governor  the  ladies  of  the  settlement  foregather- 
ed, and  behind  the  judges  the  gentlemen  of  consequence  : 
but  in  October  1787  it  was  decreed  that  the  ladies  and  gen- 
tlemen should  change  places  in  order  perhaps  to  save  the 
former  the  glare  of  the  sun.  On  the  grey  or  blue  stone 
floor  of  the  Church  were  the  seats  free  to  the  general  pub- 
lic. The  stately  columns,  which  the  visitor  will  not  fail 
to  admire,  were  then  in  plain  Doric,  and  were  converted  in 
1811  into  Corinthian.  In  1901  the  North  and  South  Galleries 
were  removed — a  great  gain  to  the  churchgoer,  but  a  loss 
to  conservative  sentiment.  Those,  howe\^er,  who  then 
deplored  the  change,  were  probably  not  aware  of  the  extent 
to  which  the  Church  had  already  been  altered  since  the 
days  when  the  Governor-General  and  his  Council  were 
wont  to  attend  Divine  Service  here  in  state. 

On  the  wall  above  the  West  Gallery  will  be  seen  the  huge 
picture  of  the  Last  Supper  which  the  artist  ZofEany  himself 


132  GUIDE    TO    CALCUTTA. 

presented  to  St.  John's  and  which  in  the  old  days  hung 
over  the  Altar.  The  cause  which  led  a  Royal  Academician 
to  emigrate  to  so  undesirable  a  place  as  Calcutta  must  have 
then  been  deemed  as  stated  to  have  been  Zoffany's 
indiscretion  in  introducing  the  features  of  important 
persons  into  his  pictures.  For  this  picture  it  is  said  that 
the  Greek  priest,  Father  Partheni,  sat  for  the  figure  of  our 
Blessed  Lord.  According  to  tradition,  the  auctioneer 
TuUoch  believed  himself  to  be  sitting  for  St.  John,  but  went 
to  law  to  avenge  the  insult  of  finding  himself  depicted  as 
Judas  Iscariot.  One  would  have  been  tempted  to  believe 
that  one  of  the  fair  sex  must  have  sat  for  the  St.  John 
depicted,  after  the  wont  of  the  XVIIIth  century  painters, 
as  a  smooth-cheeked  and  delicate  blonde.  It  is  stated, 
however,  that  the  Police  Magistrate,  William  Coates 
Blaquire,  who  came  out  to  India  in  1774  and  was  still 
living  in  Bow  Bazar  in  1854,  was  the  actual  model  for  the 
St.  John  of  Zoffany's  picture. 

On  the  arrival  of  the  first  Bishop  of  Calcutta,  St.  John's 
became  a  Cathedral  Church,  and  retained  that  dignity 
until  Bishop  Wilson's  new  erection  was  consecrated  in 
1847.  St.  John's  is  still  commonly  spoken  of  as  the  "Old 
Cathedral,"  and  the  title  will  not  be  grudged  when  we 
remember  that  it  was  here  Bishops  Middleton,  Heber, 
James,  Turner,  and  for  many  years  Bishop  Wilson,  admin- 
istered the  Sacrament  of  Holy  Orders,  and  held  their 
visitations,  and  delivered  their  charges. 

''[Dec.  26,  1814].  My  landing  here  waswithout  any  eclat,  for  fear,  I  suppose 
of  alarming  the  prejudices  of  the  natives;  who,  however,  I  am  assured,  begin 
to  entertain  a  better  opinion  of  the  English  for  venturing  lo  avow  that  they 
have  some  sort  of  religion.  Nothing  can  exceed  the  beauty  of  Calcutta,  1 
mean  the  European  part ;  in  every  direction,  as  I  look  out  of  the  window,  I 
see  a  vista  of  white  villas,  and  trees  and  tanks.  The  church  is,  I  think, 
without  exception,  the  handsomest  modern  edifice  of  the  kind  I  ever  saw. 
spacious  and  airy,  supported  on  handsome  Corinthian  columns,  and  paved 
throughout  with  blue  Chinese  marble;  there  are  no  pews,  but  rows  of  chairs, 
which  have  a  light  and  elegant  effect :  on  one  side  of  the  pulpit  is  the  chair  of 
the  Governor-Gieneral,  and  opposite,  that  of  the  Bishop;  the  judges  sit  in  one 
gallery,  and  the  Supreme  Council  opposite."  Le  Bas  :  Life  of  Bishop  Middle- 
ton,  Vol.  I,  p.  71. 

Some  years  before  Henry  Martin  had  thundered  out  the 
doctrines  of  Calvin  from  that  lofty  pulpit,  and  in  the  even- 
ing his  senior  colleague.  Dr.  Limerick,  made  the  orthodox 


BISHOP     MIDDLETON.  133 

reply.     On  Xmas  Day  1814,  the  Bishop  preached  here  to 
1,300  persons.* 

"I  was  heard  with  mute  attention  for  fifty-tive  minutes  ;  and,  from  what  I 
can  collect,  the  churchmen  are  abundantly  well  satisfied,  while  the  Methodists 
are  pleased  to  find  that  the  Bishop  is  a  Christian.  I  wish,  if  possible,  to  bring 
them  together,  though  it  will  be  a  difficult  task  ;  here,  as  elsewhere,  we  have 
altar  against  altar,  and  people  who  violate  charity  and  talk  very  wildly,  to 
say  nothing  worse.  1  told  them  that  I  came  to  India,  as  Titus  went  to  Crete 
"to  set  in  order  the  things  that  are  wanting,'  and  that  in  the.primitive  ages 
episcopacy  was  at  once  the  bond  of  unity  and  the  safeguard  of  the  truth.'  " 
Ibid,  p.  7. 

Heber  was  not  quite  so  well  pleased  with  his  Cathedral  : 

■  •  This  is  a  very  pretty  building,  all  but  the  spire,  which  is  short  and  clumsy. 
The  whole  composition,  indeed,  of  the  Church,  is  full  of  architectural  blunders, 
but  still  it  is,  in  other  respects,  handsome.  The  inside  is  elegant,  paved  with 
marble,  and  furnished  with  very  large  and  handsome  glass  chandeliers,  the 
gift  of  Mr.  .M'Clintock,  with  a  light  pulpit,  with  chairs  on  one  side  of  the  chan- 
cel for  the  Governor-General  and  his  family,  and  on  the  other  for  the  Bishop 
and  Archdeacon."     Bishop  Hehi'r''s  Journal,  Vol.  I,  p.  29. 

A  small  black  marble  tablet  marks  the  spot  in  the  Chan- 
cel where  the  first  Bishop  of  Calcutta  was  buried. 
T.  F.  M.  D.D.,  Obiit  XIII  Julii,  1852. 

The  school-friend  of  Charles  Lamb  and  protector  of  S.  T. 
Coleridge  at  the  Blue  Coat  School,  a  deep  and  indefati- 
gable scholar,  warm-hearted  and  easily  pleased,  a  thorough- 
going ecclesiastical  lawyer,  in  his  early  days  inclined  to 
liberal  theological  views,  but  after  the  portent  of  Napoleon 
swinging  back  to  the  old  fashioned  High  Church  principles, 
yet  bearing,  as  Lamb  puts  it  "his  mitre  high  in  India, 
where  the  reqni  novitias  (T  dare  say)  sufficiently  justifies 
the  bearing."  Middleton's  high  character  and  great  abdi- 
ties,  after  the  death  of  those  who  knew  the  facts,  were 
obscured  partly  by  the  general  acceptance  of  the  mis- 
erable caricature  drawn  of  him  by  Sir  W.  J.  Kaye,  and 
partly  by  the  pompous  and  irritable  style  of  his  biographer. 

The  Church  contains  many  monuments  of  interest.  The 
fine  white  marble  Cenotaph  to  the  memory  of  Alexander 
Colvin  is  a  work  of  great  beauty— the  handicraft  of  West- 
raacott.     A  bust  of  Lord  Cornwallis  stands  on  the  stairs 

•  The  coUection  on  this  occasion  amounted  to  £750  for  the  poor  .the  number 
of  communioante  to  160— alter  a  sermon  oi  55  minutes.  It  would  be  deeply 
interestiDg  to  compare  this  with  recent  records. 


134  GUIDK   TO   CALCUTTA. 

leading  to  the  West  Gallery.     Among  other  memorials  are 
inscriptions  to — 

Joha   Matthias  Turner,  d.d.,  Third  Bishop  of  Calcutta.     Died  July  7th,  1831. 

Aged  45  years.     In  a  brief  Episcopate  he  founded  the  District  Charitable 

Society,  the  Seaman's  Mission,   the  Church  at  Howrah,    and   the  High 

School  which  ultimately  became  the  St.  Paul's  School. 
Henry  Lloyd  Loring,  d.d..  The  first  Archdeacon  of  Calcutta. 
Daniel  Gorrie,  ll.d..  The  first  Bishop  of  Madras,   and   formerly    Archdeacon 

of  Calcutta — the   friend,   predecessor   and    successor   in   his    missionary 

labours  of  Henry  Martin. 
George    Edward    Lynch  Cotton,  d.d..  Fifth  Bishop  of  Calcutta.     The  friend 

of  Anglo-Indian  Education.     Drowned  at  Kooshtea,  1866. 
John    Adam,    acted  as    Governor-General  from    January    to  August,   1823, 

famed  for  his  policy   of   suppressing    the   English    Press   in  India,    but, 

says  Mr.  Wilson,  "  the  first    English    ruler    to    appropriate  a  grant    of 

pubhc  money  for  the  encouragement  of  native  education." 
Sir   Benjamin  Heath  Malkin.     Died  29th  September,  1837.     The  inscription 

is  by  Lord  Macaulay- 
Andrew   Stirling,  c.s.     Died  May  23rd,  1830,  aged  36  years.     The  historiaa 

of  Orissa. 
John  Ludlow,  c.b.     Distinguished  for  "his  heroic  intrepidity  in    the  arduous 

contest  between  the  British  troops  and  those  of  the  Raja  of  Nepaul  in 

the  years  1814—1815. 
James    Achilles    Kirkpatrick.     Died  at   Calcutta,  18th  October,  1805.     Aged 

41  ypars. 

Leaving  the  Church  itself  by  the  West  we  enter  the  large 
Vestry  room  on  our  left.  Here,  during  the  incumbency 
of  Chaplain  Hyde,  a  Museum  was  formed  of  pictures, 
records,  etc.,  etc.,  of  interest  to  those  who  study  the 
ecclesiastical  history  of  Old  Calcutta.  The  earliest 
records  were  destroyed  with  the  Church  itself  at  the  sack  of 
Calcutta,  but  if  the  visitor  can  get  the  chests  open  he  will 
find  registers  which  will  carry  him  back  to  the  days  of 
Warren  Hastings.  Here  we  shall  find  duly  registered 
(August  8th,  1777),  the  marriage  of  the  great  Pro-consul 
himself  to  ' '  Miss  Anna  Maria  Appolonia  Chappusettin— 
the  lady  who  was  the  divorced  wife  of  Mr.  Tmhoff,  and 
with  whom  Hastings  had  previously  maintained  an 
equivocal  relationship.  Here  too.  we  shall  find  recorded 
the     marriage   of     Miss      Werlee*     of     Chandernagore— 


•  According  to  the  debased  custom  of  the  time.  Miss  SVerl^e  being  a  Roman 
latholic,  the  marriage  was  performed  first  in  the  Roman  Catholic  Ohiirch  at 
;handernagore,  and  afterward   bv  the  English  Chapbiiu.     The   secoml  artmin- 


Catholic, 

Chandernagore, .  _  - 

istration  of  the  Secrament^of  Marviasje  took  place  at  Hughli. 


ST.  John's  portraits.  135 

afterwards  the  mistress  of  Francis,  and  finally  wife  of 
the  great  diplomat,  the  ex-Bishop  of  Autun,  Prince 
Talleyrand — to  Mr.  Francis  Grand  and  here,  too,  the  record 
of  the  marriage  of  Richard  Barwell  with  Miss  Elizabeth 
Jane  Sanderson. 

The  portraits  are  of  considerable  interest.  From  a 
high  place  on  the  wall,  Bishop  Evans  of  Meath  smiles 
down  on  us.  He  was  the  first  of  the  Company's  Chaplains 
to  come  to  the  Bay,  and  we  find  him  with  Hedges  at  Dacca 
in  1682.  To  the  work  of  the  ministry  he  added  the  zeal 
of  a  cunning  trader,  and  he  is  adversely  reported  on  as 
"very  often  in  company  with  the  interlopers" — i.e.,  the 
Company's  unlicensed  rivals.  "  The  buisy  poUitick 
Padre,' ^  say  the  Madras  Presidency  Council  of  the  future 
Bishop  of  Ireland's  premier  see.  The  portrait  of  Chaplain 
William  Johnson,  the  founder  of  the  present  Church,  depicts 
one  who  was  in  his  day  a  very  famous  Calcutta  charac- 
ter. The  idle  gossip  about  the  Padre  by  gossips  of  his  day 
has  been  perhaps  too  faithfully,  incorporated  by  Dr. 
Busteed  in  his  Echoes  of  Old  Calcutta.  Johnson,  in  June 
1.774,  married  a  lady  remarkable  "for  her  longevity,  for  her 
influence  and  popularity  in  Calcutta  Society  and  for  her 
weddings  "  and,  we  may  add,  for  her  wealth — "  the  old 
Begum" — Mrs.  Watts.  Mrs.  Johnson  elected  not  to 
accompany  her  fourth  and  last  husband  home  to  England 
when  he  retired  in  1788.  Some  years  later,  we  find, 
Johnson  volunteering  to  take  part  in  a  scheme  which  had 
been  proposed  for  a  mission  to  Bengal. 

The  portraits  of  Dr.  Ward,  Charles  Sealy  and  Charles 
Weston  will  be  interesting  to  those  who  care  to  make  a 
deeper  study  of  the  history  of  St.  John's  Church. 

The  massive  Altar  Plate,  which,  with  the  exception  of 
two  Alms  dishes,  was  presented  by  the  Hon'ble  East  India 
Company  in  1787,  well  deserves  inspection. 

We  now  pass  out  into  the  Graveyard — vulgarly  styled 
the  "compound."*  In  the  north-west  we  find  the  Charnock 
Mausoleum  erected,  probably  in  1695,  over  the  grave  of 
the  founder  of  Calcutta  by  his  son-in-law  Sir  Charles  Eyre. 
Had  even  the  Old  Fort  been  standing,  the  Mausoleum  would 


See  Yale's  Hobson  Jobsoa  under  "Compound. 


136  GUIDE    TO    CALCUTTA. 

still  be  "  the  oldest  example  of  British  masonry  now 
existing  in  Calcutta."  It  is  a  massive  octagonal  structure 
with  a  small  octagon  above  bearing  the  dome. 

'"In  the  year  1696  we  may  assume  the  Mausoleum  stood  as  we  see  it  now 
and  contained  within  it  a  table  monument  bearing  on  its  upper  face  the  slab 
of  black  Palavaram  granite,  now  entitled  from  this  specimen  chamockite 
with  its  epitaph,  wrought  in  raised  letters  at  Madras."  Hyde:  Parochial 
Annals,  p.  31. 

Mr.  Hyde  in  the  work  we  have  just  quoted,  describes 
the  re-opening  of  the  tomb  on  November  22nd,  1892. 

"The  excavation  was  somewhat  smaller  than  an  ordinary  grave  and  lay 
east  and  west  in  the  centre  of  the  floor.  At  the  bottom  of  it  the  workmen  had 
cleared  a  level,  and  the  west  end  of  which  they  were  beginning  to  dig  a  little 
deeper  when  a  bone  became  visible.  This  bone  was  left  in  situ  undisturbed 
and  the  digging  had  ceased  on  its  discovery.  On  seeing  this  bone  he  (Mr. 
Hyde]  felt  sure  it  could  be  no  other  bone  than  one  of  the  bones  of  the  left  fore- 
aim  of  the  person  buried,  which  must  have  laid  crossed  upon  the  breast.  A 
little  beyond  it  he  observed  a  small  object  in  the  earth  which  he  took  at  first 
for  a  large  coffin  nail,  but  on  this  being  handed  up  to  him  it  was  very  apparent 
that  it  was  the  largest  joint  of,  probably,  a  middle  finger  and  judging  from  its 
position,  of  thp  left  hand.  This  bone  was  replaced.  Xo  more  earth  was  pre- 
mitted  to  be  removed  save  only  a  little  above  and  to  the  east  of  the  remains, 
sufficient  to  reveal  a  black  stratum  in  the  soil  which  might  have  been  the 
decayed  coffin  lid.  It  was  quite  evident  that  a  few  more  strokes  of  the  spade 
would  discover  the  rest  of  the  skeleton,  perhaps  perfect  after  200  years  of 
burial.  There  can  be  no  reasonable  doubt,  but  that,  arguing  from  the  position 
of  the  broly  and  of  the  depth  at  which  it  lay,  it  was  the  very  one,  to  enshrine 
which  only,  the  Mausoleum  was  originally  built,  the  mortal  part  of  the  Father 
of  ("alcutta  himself."     Ibid,  p.  32. 

The  Epitaph  is  as  follows  : — 
D.  o.  M. 

Jobus  Charnock,  Armiger. 

Anglus,  et  nup'  in  hoc 

Regno  Bengalensi  dignissim'  Anglorum 

Agens,  Mortalitatis  .suae  exuvias 

Sub  hoc  marmore  deposuit,  ut 

in  spe  beatse  resurrectionis  ad 

Ghristi  judicis  adventum  obdormirent 

Qui  postquam  in  solo  non 

.Suo  peregrinatus  esset  diu, 

Reversus  est  domuni  suae  aeter- 

nitatis  decimo  die  Januarii  169*2. 

Beneath  is  the  epitaph  to  the  memory  of  Mary  Eyre, 
Charnock's  daughter,  and  the  wife  of  Sir  Charles  Eyre. 
Close  by  is  a  grave -stone  (brought  hither  from  her 
tomb  in  the  churchyard)  to  the  memory  of  another 
daughter  of    old  Job — Mrs.  Catherine  White. 


4 


OLD    TOBIBS,  137 

Within  the  Charnock  Memorial  is  the  tombstone  of 
Dr.  William  Hamilton,  "Benefactor  of  Calcutta."  An 
interesting  account  of  this  worthy's  career  will  be  found  in 
the  Calcutta  Review  of  April  1903.  The  tombstone  was 
found  in  1786,  when  the  foundations  of  the  Church  steeple 
were  being  prepared.  Contrary  to  the  intentions  of  War- 
ren Hastings,  who  wished  it  to  be  placed  in  the  centre 
niche  of  the  entrance  to  the  Church  ;  it  was  placed  here  : — 

"  Under  this  stone  lyea  interred  the  body  of  William  Hamilton,  Surgeon, 
•who  departed  this  life  the  4th  December,  1717. 

His  memory  ought  to  be  dear  to  this  nation,  for  the  Credit  he  gained  Kng- 
lish  in  Curing  F'rnikseer,  the  present  King  of  Indostan,  of  a  Malignant  Dis- 
temper, by  which  he  made  his  own  name  famous  at  the  Court  of  that  Great 
Monan'h  ;  and  without  donbt  will  perpetuate  his  Memory,  as  >vell  in  tireat 
Britain  as  all  othei'  Nations  in  Europe." 

Translation  of  th>'  Persian  hiscription. 
"  William  Hamilton,  Surgeon,  servant  of  the  English  Company,  who  had 
accompanied  the  English  Arnbassadjr  of  the  illustrious  Court,  and  had  raised 
his  name  in  the  four  quarters  by  curing  the  King  of  Kings,  the  protection  of 
the  world,  Mahammad  Farrukhsiyar  Ghazi,  having,  with  a  thousand  difficul- 
ties, obtained  from  the  Court,  the  asylum  of  the  world,  permission  to  go  home, 
died,  as  decreed,  by  God,  in  Calcutta,  on  the  4th  of  December,  1717.  He 
lies  buried  in  this  place." 

In  the  Churchyard,  we  shall  find  the  tomb  of  Admiral 
Watson  whose  name  will  ever  be  remembered  as  the 
Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Naval  Forces  when  Clive 
oame  from  Madras  to  avenge  the  disaster  of  1756. 
Watson  has  also  a  monument  in  Westminster  Abbey. 

Close  to  the  Admiral  lies  the  tomb  of  a  young  midship- 
man '-Billy"  Speke,  mortally  wounded  at  the  siege  of 
Chandernagore,  March  24th,  1757.  Let  Edward  Ives,  the 
Surgeon  of  the  good  ship  Kerit,  tell  us  the  pathetic  story 
of  the   lad's  noble  death. 

"The  behaviour  of  Captain  Speke  and  his  son,  a  youth  of  IB  years  of  age,  was 
«o  truly  great  and  exemplary  on  this  glorious,  but  melancholy  occasion,  that 
I  must  beg  leave  to  describe  it  with  some  of  its  most  interesting  circum- 
stances. 

When  .Admiral  Watson  had  the  unhappiness  to  see  both  the  father  and  son 
fall  in  the  same  instant,  he  immediately  went  up  to  them  and  by  the  most 
t«nder  and  pathetic  expressions  tried  to  alleviate  their  distress.  The  Captain 
who  had  observed  his  son's  leg  to  be  hanging  only  by  the  skin,  said  to  the 
Admiral  '"Indeed,  Sir,  this  was  a  cruel  shot,  to  knock  down  both  the  father 
«nd  the  son  !"  Mr.  iVatson's  heart  was  too  full  to  make  the  least  reply;  he 
only  ordered  them  both  to  be  immediately  carried  to  the  surgeon.  The  Cap- 
tain wa«  brought  down  to  me  in  the  aft.er-hold  where  a  platform  had  been 
made  and  then  told  me  how  dangerously  his  poor  Billy  was  wounded,  fre- 
wently  after  the  brave  youth  himself  appeared,  but  had  another  narrow  escape. 


138  GUIDE    TO    CALCUTTA. 

the  Quarter-master  wlio  was  bringing  iiim  dowu  in  his  arms  after  liis  t'atlier, 
being  killed  by  a  cannon  ball;  his  eyes  overflowing  with  tears,  not  for  his  own 
but  for  his  father's  fate,  I  laboured  to  assure  him,  that  his  father's  wound  was 
not  dangerous,  and  this  assertion  was  confirmed  by  the  Captain  himself.  He 
seemed  not  to  believe  either  of  us  until  he  asked  me  vpon  my  honour,  and  I  had 
repeated  to  him  my  first  assurance  in  the  most  positive  manner.  He  then 
immediately  became  calm;  but  on  my  attempting  to  inquire  into  the  condition 
of  his  wound,  he  solicitously  asked  me,  if  I  had  dressed  his  father  for  he  could 
not  think  of  my  touching  him,  before  his  father's  wound  had  been  taken  care 
of.  I  assured  him  that  the  Captain  had  been  already  properly  attended  to- 
Then  (replied  the  generous  youth,  pointing  to  a  fellow -sufferer)  ''Pray,  Sir,. 
look  to  and  dress  this  poor  man  who  is  groaning  so  sadly  beside  me/' '  I  told  him 
that  he  already  had  taken  care  of,  and  begged  of  him  with  some  importunity 
that  I  now  might  have  liberty  to  examine  his  wound;  he  submitted  to  it,  and 
calmly  observed,  "Sir,  I  fear  you  mvst  ampntate  above  the  joint/"  I  replied, 
my  dear,  I  must! — Upon  which  he  clasped  both  his  hands  together, and  lifting 
his  e3-es  in  the  most  devout  and  fervent  manner  towards  heaven,  he  offered 
up  the  following  short,  but  earnest  petition  !  "Good  God,  do  thov  enable  me 
to  behave  in  my  present  circnmstances  worthy  my  Father' s  Sov  /' '  When  he  had 
ended  this  ejaculiitory  prayer  he  told  me  that  he  was  all  submission.  I  then 
performed  the  operation  above  the  joint  of  the  knee;  but  during  the  whole 
time  the  intrepid  youth  never  spoke  a  word  or  uttered  a  groan  that  could  be 
heard  at  a  yard  distance. 

The  reader  may  easily  imagine  what,  in  this  dreadful  interval  the  brave 
but  unhappy  Captain  suffered,  who  lay  just  by  his  unfortunate  and  darling 
8on.  But  whatever  were  his  feelings  we  discovered  no  other  expressions  of 
them,  than  what  the  silent,  trickling  tears  declared,  though  the  bare  recol- 
lection of  the  scene,  even  at  this  distance  time,  is  too  painful  for  me.  Both 
the  father  and  the  son,  the  day  after  the  action  were  sent  with  the  rest  of  the 
wounded  back  to  Calcutta.  The  father  was  lodged  at  the  house  of  William 
Mackett,  Esq.,  his  brother-in-law,*  and  the  son  was  with  nie  at  the  hospital. 
For  the  first  eight  or  nine  days,  1  gave  the  father  great  comfort  by  carrying 
him  joyful  tidings  of  his  boy;  and  in  the  same  manner  I  gratified  the  son  in 
regard  to  his  father.  But  alas!  from  that  time  all  the  good  symptons  which  had 
hitherto  attended  this  unparalleled  youth,  began  to  disappear.  The  Captain 
easily  guessed,  by  my  silence  and  countenance,  the  true  state  his  boy  was  in, 
nor  did  he  ever  ask  me  more  than  two  questions  concerning  him:  so  tender 
was  the  subject  to  us  both,  and  so  unwilling  was  his  generous  mind  to  add  to 
my  distress.  The  first  was,  on  the  tenth  day,  in  these  words,  ' "  Ho^v  long  my 
friend,  do  you  think  my  Billy  may  remain  in  a  state  of  uncertainty?"  I  replied, 
that  ' '//  he  had  lived  to  the  I5th  day  from  the  operation,  there  would  be  the  strong- 
est  hopes  of  his  recovery.  On  the  llifh,  however,  he  died!  and  on  the  \6th  the 
brave  man  looking  me  steadfastly  in  the  face  said,  "  Well,  fves,  how  fares  it  with 
my  boy?"  I  could  make  him  no  reply; — and  he  immediately  attributed  my 
silence  to  the  real  cause.  He  cried,  bitterly,  squeezed  me  by  the  hand,  and  begged 
me  to  hare  him  for  the  one  half  hour,  when  he  wished  to  see  me  again:  and 
assured  me  that  I  should  find  him  u'ilh  a  different  countenance  from  that  he 
troubled  me  with  at  present.  These  were  his  obliging  expressions.  I  punctually 
complied  with  his  desire,  and  when  I  returned  to  him,  he  appeared  as  he  ever 
after  did,  perfectly  calm  and  serene. 

The  dear  youth  had  been  delirious  the  evening  preceding  the  day  on  which 
he  died;  and  at  two  o'clock  in  the  morning,  in  the  utmost  distress  of  mind, 
he  sent  me  an  incorrect  note  written  by  himself  with  a  pencil,  of  which  the 
following  is  an  exact  copy  ! — 

' '//  Mr.  Ives  ivill  consider  the  disorder  a  son  must  be  in  when  he  is  told  he  is 
dying,  and  is  yet  in  doubt  whether  his  father  is  not  in  as  good  a  state  of  health.    If 


OLD    TOMBS.  139' 

Mr.  Ives  is  not  too  busy  to  honour  this  ckitt,  lohich  nothing  but  the  greatest  uneasi- 
ness co7ild  draw  from  me.  The  boy  units  an  answer/''  Immediately  on  the 
receipt  of  this  note,  I  visited  him,  and  he  had  still  sense  enough  left  to  know 
who  I  was.     He  then  began  with  me. 

''And  is  he  dead?'''  Who  my  dear,  "My  father.  Sir/'  No,  my  love;  nor 
19  he  in  any  danger,  I  assure  you;  he  is  almost  well.  ""  Thank  Ood — then 
why  did  they  tell  me  so?  I  nm  noio  satisfied,  and  ready  to  die/'  At  that  time 
he  had  a  locked  jaw,  and  was  in  great  distress  but  I  understood  every  word 
he  so  inarticulately  uttered,  he  begged  my  pardon,  for  having  (as  he  oblig- 
ingly and  tenderly  expressed  himself)  disturbed  me  at  so  early  an  hour,  and 
before  the  day  was  ended  surrendered  up  a  valuable  life." 

The  inscription  on  the  tomb  of  Charlotte  Becher  is,  in 
the  opinion  of  Sir  W.  Hunter,  one  of  the  '  'two  most  touch- 
ing stories  carved  on  Calcutta  graves  of  the  last  century." 

Under  this  stone  lyeth  the  remains  of  Charlotte  Becher,  the  affection- 
ate wife  of  Richard  Becher,  Esq.,  in  the  East  India  Company's  service  in 
Bengal.  She  died  the  14th  day  of  October  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  1759,  in 
the  21st  year  of  her  age,  after  suffering  with  patience  a  long  illness  occa- 
sioned by  grief  for  the  death  of  an  only  daughter,  who  departed  this  life  at 
Fulta,  the  20th  day  of  November,  1756.  This  monument  is  erected  to  her 
memory  by  her  afflicted  husband. 

Among  other  tombs  of  interest  are  those  of 

Sir  Robert  Henry  Blosset.     CUiief  Justice  of  Bengal.     Died  1823. 

Sir  Charles  Puller.  ,,  ,,       "  Died  1824. 

Sir  B.  H.  Malkin. 

Bishop  Turner. 

Elizabeth  Barwell,  the  wife  of  Richard  Barwell. 

Ralph  Shelden,  the  first  Collector  of  Calcutta,  and  one  of  the  Chairmen 
in  the  Rotation  Government,  arrived  at  Calcutta,  when  only  Ift 
years  of  age,  on  June  9,  IfiSS,  and  died  at  Hughli  on  April  25, 
1709.     Aged  37. 

In  the  north-west  angle  of  the  Churchyard  is  a  large 
Cenotaph  in  honour  of  the  soldiers  who  fell  in  the  second 
Rohilla  War  (1794).  The  inscription  was  added  one  hun- 
dred and  one  years  after  the  event.  St.  John's  Church- 
yard was  in  the  year  1903,  placed,  by  Lord  Curzon, 
under  the  direct  control  of  the  Lieutenant-Governor  of 
Bengal,  and  a  fixed  sum  was  set  apart  for  its  mainte- 
nance year  in  and  year  out. 

Leaving  St.  John's,  we  drive  along  the  North  side  of 
Government  Place,  and  turn  to  the  left  into  Old  Court 
House  Street.  We  enter  Dalhousie  Square,  in  former 
years  known  as  "Tank  Square,"  and  at  one  time  as 
"  The  Park."     Keeping  straight    on  we  find  in  front  of  us 


140  guide  to  calcutta. 

St.  Andrew's  Kirk. 

This  buildi)ig,  which  with  either  too  little  or  too  much 
humour,  has  been  styled  "an  handsome  Grecian  build- 
ing," was  commenced  in  1815,  when  the  foundation-stone 
was  laid  on  St.  Andrew's  Day  by  Lord  Hastings —  a  cir- 
cumstance which  has  led  to  the  natives  calling  it  the 
"Lat  Sahib  ki  Girja."  In  early  times  the  Presbyterian 
form  of  Christianity  was  not  supposed  to  flouri.sh  in  Ben- 
gal.    Writes  Alexander  Hamilton  : 

■'In  Calcutta  all  religions  are  freely  tolerated,  but  the  Presbyterian,  and 
that  they  howle  at.  The  Pagans  cairy  their  idols  in  procession  through  the 
town.  The  Roman  Catholirs  have  their  church  to  lodge  their  idols  in,  and  the 
Mahometan  is  not  discountenanced  ;  but  there  are  no  polemics  except 
between  our  Highohurchmen  and  our  Low,  or  between  the  Governor's 
party  and  other  private  merchants  on  points  of  trade." 

To  console  some  Scotch  members  of  Parliament  who 
had  objected  to  the  creation  of  the  English  bishopric  as 
an  act  unfair  if  not  combined  with  some  encouragement 
to  the  Scotch,  a  Presbyterian  Chaplain,  Dr.  Bryce,  was 
despatched  to  India  by  the  very  ship  which  brought  out 
the  first  Bishop.  On  his  arrival.  Dr.  Bryce,  finding  no 
building  at  his  disposal,  applied  without  success  for 
an  alternative  use  of  St.  John's,  and  when  embittered 
by  a  disapointment,  he  delivered  his  first  sermon  in  the 
C!ollege-Hall,  he  "  contrived  almost  to  identify  episcopacy 
with  popery  and  did  not  scruple  to  represent  the  Church 
of  England  as  still  grievously  infected  with  the  corruptions 
of  the  Church  of  Rome."  The  Doctor,  in  course  of  time, 
added  the  post  of  Controller  of  Government  Stationery 
to  his  pastoral  charge  of  the  Scotch  folk  of  Calcutta. 

St.  Andrew's  Kirk  covers,  or  very  nearly  covers  the 
site  of  the  vanished  Old  Court  House.  In  1727,  a 
Royal  Charter  bestowed  on  Calcutta  a  Municipal  Cor- 
poration— a  Mayor  and  nine  Aldermen.  Where  these 
•civic  worthies  first  held  their  Court  we  know  not,  but 
bit  by  bit  they  seem  to  have  worked  their  way  into 
possession  of  the  Charity  School  which  stood  on  this 
spot  and  had  been  erected  by  the  Vestry  of  St.  Anne's 
•Church  in  1731.  Ultimately  the  children  were  removed 
^ilsewhere,  and,  probably  before  1756.  the  place  was  known, 
mply  as   the  Court    House.     In  1792  the   Court  House, 


THE    SCOTCH    KIRK.  141 

or  Town  Hall  as  it  was  frequently  called,  was  demolished. 
The  site,  which  in  1815  was  valued  at  Rs.  30,000,  was 
together  with  one  lakh  of  rupees  presented  to  the  Kirk 
Session  for  their  new  Kirk,  but  to  this  day  Government 
pays  to  the  Calcutta  Free  School  a  monthly  rent  of 
Rs.  800  for  the  site. 

In  addition  to  the  lakh  given  by  Government, 
Rs.  36,000  were  raised  by  public  subscriptions.  The 
building  was  completed  in  1818,  but  a  debt  of  Rs.  80,000 
remained  until  1834  when  it  was  wiped  out  by  the  Govern- 
ment. The  Mirror  newspaper  of  March  12th,1818,  which 
describes  the  opening  of  St.  Andrew's,  is  very  eloquent 
on  the  subject  of  the  beauties  of  the  "  Enharmonic 
Organ"  which — no  doubt  to  the  dismay  of  sterner  disciples 
of  John  Knox — adorned  the  Kirk. 

' "  It  has  been  usually  allowed  that  the  organ  has  hitherto  been  an  imper- 
fect instrument  from  the  circumstance  of  its  only  containing  twelve  sounds 
within  the  octave — this  number  not  being  sufficient  to  satisfy  the  ear  in  any 
one  key,  whereas  composers  have  written  in  twenty-four  keys  for  it. 
....  The  Euharmonic  organ  produces  perfect  harmony  and  melody  in 
thirty  kej-s,  and  this  by  introducing  as  occasion  may  require,  thirty-nine 
sounds  in  the  octave,  by  means  of  pedals,  while  the  keyboard  remains  the 
same. "  H.  D.  Sandeman  :  Selections  from  Calcutta  Gazettes,  Vol.  V,  252. 

The  present  Organ  was  built  by  Messrs.  Gray  &  Davison 
in  1858  at  the  cost  of  Rs.  10,000. 

In  the  Vestry  will  be  found  a  portrait  of  Dr.  Bryce  by 
Sir  J.  W.  Gordon,  of  his  colleague  and  successor  Dr. Charles 
and  the  Revd.  J.  Maclister  Thomson.  The  Kirk  Session 
has,  by  virtue  of  Act  of  Parliament,  a  right  to 
representation  in  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Established 
Kirk. 

Turning  up  Mission  Row,  we  find  on  our  left 

The  Old  Mission  Church. 

On  the  14th  of  April,  1740,  the  Society  for  the  Promotion 
of  Christian  Knowledge  despatched  to  India  on  a  pay  of 
£50  a  year  a  young  Swedish  graduate  of  the  University 
of  Halle — John  Zachary  Kiernander.  In  1758  Cudda- 
lore,  where  he  had  settled  as  a  missionary,  was  captured 
by  the  French,  and  at  the  invitation  of  Lord  Chve,  Kier- 
nander, with  his  wife  Wendela  came  to  Calcutta.  He 
at  once  commenced  a  school,  and  in  the  Old  Church  of 


142  GUIDK    TO    CALCUTTA. 

the  Augustinian  Friars,  at  that  time  used  as  for  the  Eng- 
lish rite,  he  deUvered  his  courses  of  missionary  lectures. 
In  the  meanwhile  the  faithful  Wendela  had  died  (1761), 
but,  says  Asiaticus,  "the  remembrance  of  all  his  former 
sorrows  was  obliteratd  in  the  silken  embraces  of  opulent 
beauty  :  the  tenth  of  February  1762  witnessed  his  union 
with  Mrs.  Anne  Wolley."  The  wealth  of  this  lady 
enabled  her  husband  to  expend  some  Rs.  60,000  on  the 
"Beth  Tephillah"  or  "House  of  Prayer"  which  now 
forms  the  greater  part  of  the  Old  Mission  Church.  It 
was  commenced  in  1767  and  opened  on  the  Fourth 
Sunday  in  Advent,  1770.  It  is  very  doubtful  whether 
"the  first  Protestant  Missionary"  drew  many  converts 
from  heathenism.  He  seems  rather  to  have  devoted 
himself  to  winning  over  adherents  from  the  low  caste 
Portuguese.  In  addition  to  these  he  succeeded  in  induc- 
ing no  less  than  five  Roman  Catholic  padrees. 

In  an  evil  hour  old  Kiernander  set  his  name  on  a  bill 
incurred  by  his  spendthrift  son  Robert,  and  thus  it  came 
about  that  in  his  seventy-sixth  year,  and  in  the  forty- 
seventh  of  his  mission  (1787)  he  went  bankrupt,  and  the 
seal  of  the  Sheriff  of  Calcutta  was  attached  to  the  door 
of  the  "Beth  Tephillah."     But 

■ "  One  person  stepped  forward  and  saved  the  temple,  where  the  hymns  of 
truth  have  been  chanted  for  seventeen  years,  from  being  profaned  by  the 
humdrum  sing-song  of  an  auctioneer."  Historical  and  Ecclesiastical 
Sketches  of  Bengal,  Calcutta  1831,  p.  201. 

This  person  was  Charles  Grant,  then  the  fourth  mem- 
ber of  the  Board  of  Trade,  the  father  of  the  future  Lord 
Glenelg.  Long  years  before  a  pathetic  scene  had  taken 
place  in  the  study  of  the  old  missionary.  In  a  state  of 
"deep  concern  about  the  state  of  my  soul,"  Grant  had 
looked  in  vain  for  some  person  "then  living  there  (Cal- 
cutta) from  whom  I  could  obtain  any  information  as  to 
the  way  of  a  sinner's  salvation."  He  had  recourse  to 
Kiernander. 

■'I  found  him  lying"  on  a  couch.  My  anxious  inquiries  as  to  what  I 
■should  do  to  be  saved  appeared  to  em  barrass  and  confuse  him  exceedingly ; 
and  when  I  left  him,  the  perspiration  was  running  down  his  face  in  conse- 
quence, as  it  appeared  to  me  of  his  mental  distress.  He  could  not  answer 
my  queetion,  but  he  gave  me,  some  good  instructive  books."  Grant 
■quoted  by  Dr-.  G.    Smith,  c.'i.E.,  LL.d.,  Conversion'oj  India,  p.  97. 


\ 


THE     OLD     MISSION    CHURCH.  143 

For  many  years  after  Grant's  purchase  the  charge  of 
the  Old  Mission  Church  was  in  the  keeping  of  members 
of  that  distinguished  group  of  Chaplains  known  as  "the 
five  Evangelical  Chaplains"  to  whom,  in  a  special  sense, 
the  origin  of  Church  of  England  missionary  work  in  India 
must  be  assigned.  Memories  of  Buchanan,  Brown, 
Martyn,  Thomason,  Marmaduke  Thompson  and  Corrie  are 
inseparably  connected  with  this  building. 

The  church  is  rich  in  memorials  to  the  great  "evan- 
gelicals" whose  career  was  cast  in  India — David  Brown, 
Henry  Martyn,  Charles  Grant,  T.  T.  Thomason,  George 
Uidney  (died  in  Calcutta,  October  24th,  1830),  Daniel 
Corrie,  Daniel  Wilson,  J.  H.  Pratt,  Thomas  Dealtry  (Bis- 
hop of  Madras  who  "as  senior  minister  of  this  Church 
preached  the  Gospel  of  Christ  with  earnest  faithfulness 
far  upwards  of  seventeen  years" — June  1829 — January 
1847),  and  Henry  Perrott  Parker,  the  predecessor  of 
Martyn  Hannington  in  the  See  of  East  Equitorial  Africa, 
and  who,  when  only  35  years  of  age  died  at  Wusambio 
near  the  Victoria  Nyanza  on  March  28th,  1888. 

The  Sanctuary  has  been  quite  recently  added- 

No.  11,  Mission  Row  is  the  residence  of  the  incumbent, 
No.  12  is  that?  of  the  Local  Secretary  of  the  Church 
Missionary  Society. 

The  Roman  Catholic  Cathedral. 

In  Portuguese  Church  Street  stands  the  Roman  Catholic 
Cathedral — the  Portuguese  Church  of  our  Lady  of  the 
Rosary.  The  district  in  which  this  building  stands  is  known 
as  Murghihatta. 

■  With  the  growth  on  a  hetrogeuous  population  came  the  necessity  of 
allotting  particulai'  areas  to  particular  races.  Thus,  shortly  after  the  English 
came  the  Portuguese  who  were  the  only  people  who  kept  fowls,  the  rest 
of  the  inhabitants  being  Hindus  to  whom  fowls  are  forbidden,  were  allotted 
a  quarter  which  came  to  be  designated  as  Murghihutta,  and  the  Armenians 
a  tola  or  division  which  was  named  Armani-tola.'^  A.  K.  Ray:  Census  of 
India,  1901,  Vol.  VIII,  pt.  I,  p.  89.  f 

We  have  seen  how  in  1693  Sir  John  Goldsborough 
ousted  the  Portuguese  Augustinian  Friars  from  their  Chapel 
on  the  site  of  the  Old  Fort.  In  1700  a  Mrs.  Maria 
Tench,  who  died  twelve  years  later  and  whose  tomb  will 
be  found    in    the    Churchyard,   provided   the  means  for 


144  GUIDE    TO    CALCUTTA. 

erecting  a  building  of  brick.  This  edifice  together  with 
the  Armenian  Church  escaped  destruction  in  the  siege  of 
1756.     On   January  31st,  1757,  the  Court  wrote  home  : 

"The  inconvenience  we  experienced  at  the  seige  of  Calcutta  from  the  prodi- 
gious number  of  Portuguese  women  who  are  admitted  for  security  into  the 
Fort,  the  very  little  or  no  service  that  people  are  to  the  settlement,  added 
to  the  prospect  of  a  war  with  France,  in  which  case  we  had  reason  to  suppose 
they  would  refuse  to  take  up  arms  against  an  enemy  of  their  own  religion 
(should  we  be  attacked)  induced  us,  upon  our  return,  to  interdict  the  pub- 
lic exercise  of  the  Roman  Catholic  religion,  and  forbid  the  residence  of 
their  priests  within  our  bounds." 

For  some  time,  as  we  have  seen,  the  Portuguese  Church 
in  Murghihatta,  was  used  for  the  celebration  of  the  English 
Rite.  On  March  24th,  1760,  however,  the  Court  admit- 
ted, besides  "the  unwholesomeness  and  dampness  of 
the  church" — the  "injustice  of  detaining  it  from  the 
Portuguese."  It  was,  therefore,  restored  to  Padre 
Caetano.  Thirty-six  years  later  the  Portuguese  community 
resolved  to  replace  their  Old  Church  by  a  new,  some 
Rs.  30,000  being  available  from  the  church  revenues.  The 
cost  of  the  New  Church  was  Rs.  90,000,  and  the  deficiency 
in  the  subscription  list  was  made  up  for  by  the  two  Brothers 
Joseph  and  Louis  Barretto,  a  Portuguese  family  long 
established  in  India  which  has  given  two  Governors  and 
one  Patriarch  to  Portuguese  India. 

If  space  permitted,  it  would  be  interesting  to  trace  here 
the  story  of  the  Portuguese  in  Calcutta.  In  1826  a 
well  informed  writer  supposed  that  "  the  Portuguese 
language  may  perhaps  be  considered  as  one  favourable 
medium  for  the  diffusion  of  the  true  reUgion  through  the 
maritime  provinces  of  the  East."  In  Heber's  day  the 
Portuguese  tradition  was  so  strong  with  the  good  folk 
of  Murghihatta,  that  Heber  in  his  Journal  cites  them 
as  a  proof  that  climate  alone  is  sufficient  "to  account  for 
the  difference  between  the  negro  and  European."  A 
valuable  article  on  "the  Portuguese  in  Northern  India" 
appeared  in  No.  10  of  the  Calcutta  Review.  The  reader 
will,  however,  note  that  to  a  certain  extent  the  mind  of 
the  writer  of  this  otherwise  useful  article  is  unduly 
affected  by  religious  prejudice. 

In  1886  the  late  Pope,  Leo  XIII,  created  Goa  into  a 
Patriarchate,    and    Agra,    Bombay,    Verapoli,    Calcutta, 


OLD    CHURCHES.  145 

Madras,  Pondicherry  and  Colombo  into  Archbishoprics, 
and  all  the  existing  Indian  Vicariates  Apostolic  and  the 
Prefecture  ApostoUc  of  Bengal  to  the  rank  of  Episcopal 
Sees.  This  arrangement  resulted  from  a  concordat 
with  the  Portuguese  Crown  in  respect  of  what  is  known 
as  the  Padroada — the  ancient  right  of  the  King  of 
Portugal  over  Bishoprics  and  benefices  in  the  East,  a 
national  claim  which  in  the  past  has  split  the  Koman 
Cathohc  community  into  two  jurisdictions,  and  is  still 
kept  in  evidence  by  the  intermingling  jurisdictions  of 
the  Archbishop  of  Calcutta  and  the  Bishop  of  Mylapur. 

The  Church  contains  among  many  monuments  one  to 
that  distinguished  benefactor  of  Calcutta — Archbishop 
Patrick  Joseph  Carew.  Here  too  is  buried  another  great 
and  good  man — Archbishop  Goethals. 

In  Amratolla  Street  is  the 

Greek  Church  of  the  Transfiguration  on 
Mount  Tabor. 

The  foundations  of  this  picturesque  building  were 
laid  in  June,  1780,  and  it  was  consecrated  on  August  6th, 
1781.  The  subscription  list  was  headed  by  Warren 
Hastings  with  a  donation  of  Rs.  2,000 :  the  cost  of  the  build- 
ing  and  the  site  was  Rs.  30,000.  English  Churchmen 
will  find  themselves  very  well  welcomed  at  the  services. 
The  relations  between  the  Greek  and  Anghcan  Commu- 
nions in  Calcutta  have  ever  been  those  of  fraternal  love 
and  esteem. 

To  avoid  narrow  lanes  and  delays,  the  pilgrim  had 
better  direct  his  way  back  to  Canning  Street,  and  then 
turn  down  China  Bazar.  Before  him  he  will  soon  see 
the  dome  of  the 

Armenian  Church  of  St,  Nazareth. 

This  is"  the  oldest  Christian  Church  in  Calcutta.  It 
was  erected  in  1724  by  the  Mayor  family  who  employed 
an  architect  named  Cavond — an  Armenian  from  Persia — 
on  the  site  of  the  Armenian  Burial  Ground. 

The  steeple  was  added  in  1724,  in  1790  Catchich 
Arrakiel  built  the  adjoining  clergy  house,  the  surrounding 
walls,  and  presented     a    clock    for    the    steeple.     Here 

F,  GO  10 


liG  GUIDE   TO   CALCUTTA. 

too  the  sons  of  the  English  Church  will  find  themselves 
welcomed,  and  priests  of  the  English  rite  will,  as  at  the 
Oreek  Church,  be  honoured  with  seats  in  the  chancel. 

The  traditions  of  the  Armenian  Church  are  followed 
in  a  conservative  spirit.  The  music  of  the  Armenian 
Liturgy  has  recently  been  carefully  studied  by  Miss 
Apcar,  whose  two  volumes  on  the  subject  are  so  well 
known  to  liturgical  scholars.  The  Church  is  very  well 
preserved,  and  its  arrangements  will  be  of  great  interest 
to  all  English  Churchmen  who  care  to  acquaint  them- 
selves with  the  practices  of  an  ancient  Christian  Church 
which  has  always  been  in  closest  sympathy  with  their  own. 

The  Armenian  National  Church  recognises  the  juris- 
diction of  the  Patriarch  of  Edchmiatzin,  under  whom  a 
Bishop  of  India,  rules  from  Ispahan  a  diocese,  including 
all  India  and  the  Far  East.  The  idea  is  commonly 
accepted  that  the  Armenian  Church  is  committed  to  the 
heresy  of  Eutyches,  but  as  a  matter  of  fact  every 
Armenian  candidate  for  the  priesthood  is  compelled  in 
express  terms  to  anathematise  that  heresy. 

From  remotest  times  the  Armenians  found  their  way 
into  India,  and  established  their  peaceful  commercial 
communities  under  Hindu  Kings,  Mogul  Viceroys,  and 
European  Companies.  In  1562  they  built  a  Church  at 
Agra,  where  traces  of  their  sojourning  are  evident  in 
the  inscriptions  in  the  Old  Cemetery.  They  were  wel- 
comed at  Calcutta  by  Charnock.  On  June  22nd,  1688, 
they  received  charters  of  protection  from  the  East  India 
Company 

Having  visited  the  oldest  Calcutta  churches,  we  will  now 
find  our  way  back  to  Chowringhi,  taking  mental  notes 
of  the  more  important  localities  through  which  we  pass. 
On  reaching  the  corner  of  Dalhousie  Square,  where  stands 
St.  Andrew's  Kirk,  we  look  over  what  used  to  be 
known  as  Tank  Place.  St.  Andrew's,  as  we  have  said 
covers  the  site  of  the  Old  Court  House.  To  our  left 
runs  Bow  Bazar  and  Lall  Bazar  Streets  in  continuation 
up  to  Sealdah,  where  now  is  the  terminus  of  the  Eastern 
Bengal  State  Railway.  In  the  map  which  Apjohn  drew  in 
1791  to  show  the  territory  of  Calcutta  at  the  time  of  Suraj- 
ud-Daula's  attack,    this  long  line  is  called  "  the  avenue 


I 


BOW   BAZAR.  147 

leading  to  the  Eastward,"  and  it  was  over  the  Mahratta 
ditch  at  the  East  end  of  it  the  Nawab's  troops  forced 
their  way  in  June,  1756,  against  fierce  opposition.  Where 
now  we  see  the  new  buildings  of  the  West  End  Watch 
Co.,  was  the  old  theatre  which  stood  opposite  the  Cut- 
cherry  very  much  where  the  present  Head  Quarters  of  the 
Calcutta  Police  now  stand.  Further  up,  to  the  right, 
was  the  Jail,  still  in  use  in  1767,  when  it  is  described 
as  "  very  neat  and  wholesome,  only  wants  a  separate 
apartment  for  women,  to  make  it  completely  con- 
venient." In  the  Burra  Bazar  there  was  another 
prison — a  "confined  bad  place  and  must  occasion  much 
sickness."  Bow  Bazar  is  a  corruption  of  Baku  bazar  or 
baziir  belonging  to  a  boiv  or  daughter-in-law.  In  olden 
time,  the  street  represented  by  this  name  was  the 
Baitakhana  Street  so  named  from  a  famous  tree  the 
branches  of  which  afforded  a  pleasant  shaded  place  for 
travellers  to  take  a  rest.  The  tree  is  marked  in  Apjohn's 
map  of  1794  at  a  spot  in  the  North-East  corner  formed 
by  the  intersection  of  Circular  Eoad  and  Baitakhana 
Street.  If  the  reader  thinks  it  worth  while  to  spend  a 
half-hour  in  driving  up  this  street  he  will  find  that  the 
street  now  is  mostly  occupied  by  native  furniture  makers. 
In  years  not  so  very  far  gone  by  it  was  the  Wapping 
of  Calcutta — the  haunt  by  no  means  innocent  of  the 
British  merchant  sailor, — a  race  which  in  these  days  of 
steam  vessels,  and  lascar  seamen,  is  disappearing.  The 
street  was  even  once  known  as  "  Flag  street  "  from 
the  flags  of  different  nationalities  waving  over  the 
sailors'  pet  taverns.  In  Bow  Bazar  will  be  found 
the  Church  of  Nossa  Senora  de  Dolores,  and  St.  Antony's 
School.  A  turning  to  our  left  will  bring  us  to  St.  Paul's 
Mission  Church  in  Scott's  Lane  where  for  a  quarter  of 
a  century  now  the  Rev.  Canon  Jackson  has  laboured,  and 
still  labours,  in  a  work  which  all  Church-folk  in  Calcutta 
admire  and  which  we  pray  will  bear  rich  fruit  for  many  long 
years  to  come.  Sealdah,  mentioned  in  1757  as  a  "  narrow 
causeway,  raised  several  feet  above  the  level  of  the  country, 
with  a  ditch  on  each  side  leading  from  the  east,"   is — 

■  'The  site  of  the  house  which  formed  the  Jockey  Club  and  refreshment  place 
of  the  Calcutta  sportsmen  when,  in  former  days,  they  went  tiger  and  boar 


148  GUIDE    TO    CALCUTTA. 

hunting  in   the  neighbourhood   of   Dum-Dum."     Long.     Calcutta    Eevieic. 
Vol.  XVIIL  p.  3L5. 

A  portion  of  this  long  street  from  Dalhousie  Square  to 
Sealdah  is  known  as  Lall  Bazar.  The  old  Mission  Church 
is  known  to  the  native  as  Lall  Girja,  and  the  tank  as  Lall 
Diglii.  The  late  Mr.  Long  has  suggested  that  it  was  the 
red-brick  of  the  Church  which  gave  the  name  both  to 
the  Church  and  its  neighbourhood,  an  explanation  which 
will  not  account  for  fact  that  Chandernagore  has  also  its 
Lall  Dighi.  The  more  obvious  explanation  is  had  from 
Hindu  mythology  : 

"  It  was  from  the  annual  Holi  festival  of  this  very  Sham  Roy  and  his  spouse 
Radha,  during  which  a  vast  quantity  of  red  powderikumkun)  used  to  be  sold 
and  scattered  in  and  about  their  cutcherry  bank  in  temporary  bazars  erected 
for  the  occasion  that  Lai  Dighi,  Lai  Bazar, 'and  Radha  Bazar  derive  their 
names."     A.  K.  Ray.     Op.  cit.,  p.  IL 

At  the  junction  of  Bow  Bazar  with  the  Circular  Road 
we  reach  the  scene  of  one  of  Clive's  most  desperate  engage- 
ments In  January  1757,  after  the  capture  of  Budge - 
Budge,  Calcutta  was  recaptured,  but  towards  the  end  of 
the  month  the  Nawab  marched  once  again  on  the  city  and 
with  an  army  outnumbering  the  forces  under  Clive — 
40,000  men  to  CHve's  1,350  Europeans  and  800  sepoys. 
Skirting  round  the  English  camp  to  the  North  of  Calcutta 
Suraj-ud-Daula  encamped  his  forces  between  the  Salt 
Lake  and  the  Mahratta  Ditch,  and  took  up  his  own 
quarters  in  the  Garden  of  Omichand  within  the  Ditch 
itself.  After  some  parleying,  Clive  determined  to  strike 
a  sudden  blow. 

'His  plan  was  to  make  a  sudden  attack  on  the  flank  and  the  rear  of  the 
enemy,  spike  his  artillery,  and  seize  the  Nabob  by  surpirse.  The  movement 
began  at  three  in  the  morning.  About  six  o'clock  the  EngUsh  entered  the 
enemies'  camp  through  which  they  fought  their  way  enveloped  in  mist.  By 
eight  they  were  masters  of  the  position.  Had  they  been  able  to  see,  the  action 
would  have  been  decisive.  But  the  fog  grew  thicker,  and  they  lost  their  road. 
They  marched  on,  feeling  their  way  by  the  Maratha  ditch,  till  they  reached 
the  causeway.*  Clive,  recognizing  the  spot,  ordered  the  troops  to  form  up  in 
column  on  the  road,  intending  to  attack  the  barrier  at  the  end  of  the  causeway, 
re-enter  the  city,  and  march  up  inside  the  ditch  to  Amichand's  garden,  where 
the  Nabob  was.  In  the  confusion  the  artillery  on  the  right  fired  into  the  left 
as  it  wheeled  round  and  began  to  march  along  the  road;  and  the  soldiers  rush- 
ing across  the  causeway  took  refuge  on  the  other  side.     Here  Clive    again 


The  present  Gas  Street. 


I 


BOW    BAZAR.  149 

attempted  to  form  a  column  of  attack,  but  a  battery  to  the  south  of  the  cause- 
way on  the  line  of  the  ditch  suddenly  opened  fire  on  the  masses  of  the  English. 
The\'  therefore  again  extended  their  line  and  continued  their  march  south- 
ward, dragging  their  guno  with  difficulty  over  the  rice  fields.  When  at  last 
the  fog  cleared  they  found  that  they  were  nearing  the  avenue.*  The  entrance 
was  guarded  by  a  body  of  troops,  but  these  were  easily  dispersed,  and  the 
English  retuned  along  the  road  to  Calcutta  after  a  sharp  action  in  which  they 
had  lost  two  guns  and  a  hundred  men The  Nabob,  alarmed  for  his  com- 
munications, and  for  his  own  personal  safety,  retreated  and  opened  negotia- 
tions. On  the  9th  February  he  signed  a  treaty  by  which  he  restored  to  the 
English  the  goods  and  villages  he  has  seized,  promised  compensation  for  what 
was  damaged  or  destroyed,  recognized  all  their  former  privileges  and  per- 
mitted them  to  establish  a  mint,  and  to  build  fortifications."  Mr.  C.  R. 
Wilson.     Indian  Church  Quarterly  Revieiv-     Vol.  XIII,  pp.  355-6. 

Returning,  we  shall  pass  on  our  left  tlie  sites  of  the  old 
Harmonic  Tavern  and  the  meeting  place  of  the  Provincial 
Grand  Lodge  of  Bengal.  We  pass  a  Baptist  Chapel 
hallowed  by  memories  of  Carey  and  Judson.  We  are 
now  once  more  in  Dalhousie  Square  and  close  to  St. 
Andrew's  Kirk.  In  the  northern  side  of  the  square  lies 
the  long  range  of  Writers'  Buildings — the  Bengal  Secre- 
tariat. Facing  these  buildings  is  the  statue  of  Sir  Ashley 
Eden,  Lieutenant-Governor  of  Bengal,  1877-1882.  The 
statue  is  very  appropriately  placed  here  as  the  red  brick 
buildings  surveyed  by  Sir  Ashley's  marble  effigy,  the 
work  of  the  sculptor  Boehm,  were  given  their  present  red 
brick  in  Sir  Ashley's  time  of  office  The  statue  used 
to  be  where  the  replica  of  the  Holwell  memorial  now  stands, 
and  was  unveiled  by  Sir  Stuart  Bailey  on  April  15,  1887, 
after  a  speech  in  which  Sir  Ashley's  part  in  queUing 
the  Sonthal  outbreak,  his  struggle  on  behalf  of  Indian 
emigrants,  his  mission  to  Bhutan,  his  administration  of 
Bengal  finance,  the  foundation  of  the  Engineering  College 
at  Sibpur,  the  foundation  of  the  Art  and  Industrial 
Musemn,  his  work  as  President  of  the  Army  Commission, 
etc.,  etc.,  were  all  praised. 

"A  story  is  on  record  that  when  the  report  of  Sir  Stuait  Bailey's  speech 
appeared  in  the  papers  in  London,  one  of  Sir  A-  Eden's  colleagues  in  the  Secre- 
tary of  State  8  Council,  meeting  him,  remarked  laughingly —  Eden,  do  you  see 
what  Bailey  has  been  saying  about  you.  You  should  be  in  one  perpetual 
blush.'  'No,' replied  Eden,  'what  has  he  been  saying?'  '  Why,  Bailey  says 
you  are  the  most  enlightened  and  the  ablest  administrator  India,  or  rather 
Bengal  has  ever  had.'   'Is  that  all?'   said  Eden.     'Why,  I  knew  that  before 


Bow  Bazdr, 


150  GUIDE   TO    CALCUTTA. 

well  can't  he  say  anything  more'originall than  that.'  "     Buekland  :  Bengal 
under  the  Lieutenant-Governors.     Vol.  II,  758. 

The  story  is  worth  repeating — the  consciousness  of 
administrative  ability  is  just  what  the  marble  face 
expresses.  Sir  Ashley  Eden  died  suddenly  of  paralysis  on . 
the  9th  of  July  1887.  Of  the  Holwell  memorial,  or 
rather  its  repHca,  a  description  has  been  given  elsewhere. 

Behind  Writers'  Buildings,  is  Lyons'  Range — "Lyons" 
was  the  pseudonym  under  which  Barwell  was  permitted 
to  purchase  this  invaluable  property.  Messrs.  Mackenzie 
Lyall  &  Co.,  who  occupy  Nos.  1  &  2,  will  soon  be  celebrat- 
ing the  centenary  of  their  firm  In  the  senior  partner's  ^ 
office  may  be  seen  the  permission  granted  in  1826  to 
one  of  the  partners  of  the  firm  by  the  Hon'ble  East 
India  Company  to  land  and  trade  ' '  during  the  pleasure 
of  the  said  company." 

In  1842-43  Mr.John  Hamilton  was  admitted,  but  died  in  1848,  best  remem- 
bered by  his  brother  George,  admitted  in  1857-58,  who,  retiring  in  1867,  still 
enjoys  a  green  old  age  at  a  romantic  spot  at  Row,  on  the  Gareloch,  where  any 
old  Indian  is  heartily  welcome,  specially  if  his  memory  goes  back  to  the  pre 
Mutiny  days,  when  Dum-Dum  was  the  Head-Quarters  of  the  Bengal  Artillery 
and  where,  at  the  weekly  open  Mess  night,  there  was  no  more  popular  guest 
than  George  Hamilton.  He  had  but  little  hirsute  appendage  to  boast  of,  and 
it  is  of  him  the  story  was  told  of  an  irate  Yankee  skipper  entering  the  office, 
demanding  to  see  Mr.  Mackenzie,  or  Mr.  Lyall,  "There  is  no  Mackenzie  and 
Lyall  now"  they  told  him — "Wal"  was  the  rejoinder,  "I  want  to  see  the 
man  I  saw  yesterday; — he  looked  as  if  he  had  passed  through  (place 
unmentionable  in  polite  ears)  with  his  hat  off !  " 

In  Jolin  Hamilton's  time  was  held  the  celebrated  sale  of  opium  in  1846. 
The  general  version  was  to  the  effect  that  the  Government  insisted  upon  hold- 
ing the  auction,  while  the  native  merchants,  waiting  for  news  by  the  China 
boat  then  coming  up  the  river,  were  bent  upon  frustrating  their  object,  and 
so  ran  the  price  of  the  first  chest  of  opium  up  to  Rs.  1,30,955,  when  the  sale 
was  stopped,  after  having  lasted  all  day  until  the  evening,  but  our  esteemed 
and  venerable  fellow-townsman,  Mr.  Wm.  Stalkartt,  of  Goosery,  whose 
recollections  of  Calcutta  date  from  1833,  states  the  whole  affair  rose  from  a 
gambling  transaction  between  two  factions  of  Marwaris  betting  as  to  which 
side  should  secure  the  first  chest  of  opium;  the  magnitude  of  the  wagers  can  be 
imagined  when  either  party  could  afford  to  go  up  to  Rs.  1,30,955,  and  yet  be 
prepared  to  continue.  A  Babu,  still  in  the  employ  of  the  firm  of  Mackenzie 
Lyall  &  Co.,  well  recollects  the  scene  of  confusion  on  that  day,  both  inside  the 
office  and  outside  in  Tank  Square,  as  it  was  then  called,  but  now  known  as 
Dalhousie  Square.  When  it  came  to  the  rival  factions  throwing  each  other 
into  the  water,  the  police  had  to  be  sent  for  to  restore  peace.  The  sale  was 
eventually  stopped  by  order  of  Mr.  Torrens,  the  then  Secretary  to  the 
Board  of  Revenue,  and  fresh  conditions  of  sale  eventually  compiled,  which 
prevented  a  recurrence  of  such  a  state  of  affairs. 

The  ivory  hammer,  used  upon  that  occasion,  is  still  to  be  seen  at  the  office. 
How  it  was  lost  for  over  30  years,  and  subsequently  recovered,  is,  as  Rudyard 


THE    BUSINESS    QUARTBK.  151 

Kipliug,  would  say,  another  story,  It  has  engraved  upon  it,  the  circumstance 
of  the  above  sale,  the  names  of  the  partners  and  also  the  then  ruling  average 
price,  per  chest,  of  Patna  opium,  viz.: — Co.'s  Rs.  1,793-5-9."  The  History  of 
an  old  Calcutta  Firm. 

At  the  north-west  corner  of  Lyons'  Range  at  the  close 
of  the  XVIIIth  century  stood  the  play  house,  erected 
in  1775  and  furnished  with  wind-sails  on  the  roof  "to 
promote  coolness  by  a  free  circulation  of  air."  To  Mrs. 
John  Bristow  is  ascribed  "  the  honour  of  being  the  first  in 
Calcutta  who  brought  lady  actresses  into  fashion."  In 
Mrs.  Fay's  day  the  leading  Calcutta  "  actress  "  was  a 
cetain  Lieutenant  Forfar — a  gallant  soldier  when  occasion 
required,  but  in  piping  times  of  place  somewhat  of  a  belle. 

Peeping  up  Clive  Street  we  see  on  either  side  of  us  lines 
of  vast  buildings.  At  the  north-east  corner  of  the  square 
is  the  Customs  House,  the  building  of  which,  in  1820,  led 
to  the  demolition  of  the  then  considerable  ruins  of  the 
Old  Fort.  The  Royal  Exchange  faces  Fairhe  Place  and 
the  offices  of  the  East  India  Railway  Company — Mr.  Fairlie, 
here  commemorated,  was  at  one  time  the  senior  part- 
ner of  Messrs.  Fairlie,  Furgusson  &  Co.,  Dr.  Busteed 
holds  to  the  tradition  which  places  Lord  Clive' s  residence 
on  the  site  of  the  Royal  Exchange  :  other  authorities 
maintain  that  No.  9,  Chve  Street,  now  occupied  by  Messrs. 
Graham  &  Co.,  was  the  dwelling  honoured  by  the  great 
founder  of  the  Indian  Empire  of  Great  Britain.  A 
tablet,  erected  at  Lord  Curzon's  order,  commemorates 
the  fact  that  No.  1,  New  China  Bazar,  was  the  town- 
house  of  Sir  Philip  Francis. 

Driving  southward  down  the  western  side  of  Dalhousie 
Square  we  have  the  General  Post  Office  and  some  magni- 
ficent commercial  buildings  on  our  left.  The  dome  of 
the  Post  Office  is  one  of  the  most  conspicuous  land-marlc<! 
of  Calcutta.  The  building  was  designed  by  Mr.  W.  B. 
Granville,  and  completed  in  1868.  The  flight  of  steps 
at  the  corner  formed  by  Koila  Ghat  Street  and  Charnock 
Place  {i.e.,  the  western  side  of  Dalhousie  Square),  and  the 
spacious  Corinthian  Colonnade  scarcely  fall  short  of 
being  impressive. 

Hare  Street  meets  the  southern  corner  of  Dalhousie 
Square.    A  tablet  in  the  wall  of  No.  7,  Church  Lane,  marks 


152  GUIDE    TO    CALCUTTA. 

the  residence  of  David  Hare  (1775-1842)  the  pioneer  in 
Bengal  of  the  cause  of  education.  This  is,  we  believe, 
incorrect.  David  Hare  resided  in  No.  1,  Hare  Street, 
now  occupied  by  the  offices  of  The  Indian  Field  and 
Messrs.  Innes  Watson.  The  Church  Lane  house  was  not 
many  years  ago  a  range  of  godowns  to  which  a  top  storey 
and  an  entrance  from  Hare  Street  were  added.  Close  to  the 
south-west  corner  of  the  Tank  compound  is  the  Dalhousie 
Institute.  The  portico  dates  from  1824,  and  contains  a 
statue  of  Lord  Hastings  by  Flaxman. 

"The  scite  (sic)  for  the  monument  and  statue  to  he  erected  in  honour 
of  the  Marquis  of  Hastings  has  been  fixed  upon  by  the  committee  and 
will  be  near  the  iron  gate  in  the  enclosure  of  Tank-square,  facing  the 
Government  House.  It  is  intended  we  believe,  that  the  monument  shall 
be  in  the  form  of  a  temple,  built  of  stone,  contrived  in  such  a  manner 
as  to  protect  the  marble  figure  from  the  corroding  influence  of  the  season 
in  this  climate.  Those  interested  in  the  subject  will  be  glad  to  know 
something  of  the  statue,  the  sculptor,  and  the  progress  that  has  been 
made  in  its  execution.  Tlie  late  John  Flaxman  Esq.,  Professor  of  Sculp- 
ture in  the  Royal  Academy,  was  the  artist  employed.  In  June  1826, 
Mr.  Flaxman  had  almost  finished  two  models  for  selection.  He  had 
sometime  before  waited  on  Lord  Hastings  for  a  sitting,  or  a  cast  from 
his  features,  but  his  Lordship  was  so  highly  satisfied  with  the  celebrated 
b\ist  of  himself  by  Nollekins,  that  he  preferred  the  head  of  the  statue 
being  copied  from  that.  Accordingly  the  sculptor  proceeded  in  his  work, 
anii  made  two  sVietches — both  excellent  ;  but  the  one  finally  approved, 
was  admitted  by  Mr.  Flaxman  himself  to  be  the  most  simple  and  noble  in 
design.  It  was  a  plain  figure  with  a  military  cloak,  and  a  scroll  in  one 
hsnd.  The  model  stand.s  about  three  feet  high,  raised  upon  a  square 
pedestal,  which  is  adorned  with  allegorical  basso  relievos.  Happily  at 
the  period  of  Mr.  Flaxman's  death,  ihe  model  of  the  statue  was  finished, 
and  the  workmen  had  commenced  upon  one  of  the  most  beautifully  pure 
blocks  of  marble  that  we  have  seen.  The  same  people  are  completing 
it  who  have  finished  the  best  efforts  of  their  master,  so  that  there  need 
be  no  apprehenssion  about  its  being  adequetly  executed  and  worthy  of 
the  illustrious  personage  it  is  intended  to  honour.  The  height  of  the 
statue  is  about  seven  feet,  and  together  with  the  embellished  pedestal 
will  stand  about  twelve. — Calcutta  Oovernmenl  Gazette.    February  7th  1828. 

The  Hall,  the  foundation  stone  of  which  was  laid  with 
Masonic  ceremonial,  in  the  presence  of  the  Lieutenant- 
Governor  (Sir  Cecil  Beadon)  on  March  4th,  1865,  con- 
tains statues  or  busts  of  the  Marquess  of  Dalhousie  by 
Steel,  Brig.-Genl.  J.C.  S.  Neil,  c.  b.,  by  Noble,  Havelock  by 
Noble,  Outram  by  Foley,  Venables  by  Steel,  and  Nicholson 
by  Foley.     These  go  to  the  Victoria  Memorial  collection. 

On  our  left  are  the  fine  buildings  of  the  Standard  Life 
Insurance  Co.,  and  a  little  further  on  are  the  Head  Quarters 


■j 


LALL    DIGGEB.  15o 

of  the  Telegraph  Department,  a  gigantic  building  of  red 
brick,  surmounted  by  a  tower,  resembling  an  Italian  cam- 
panile, 120  feet  high.  The  details  of  the  building  especially 
the  iron  gates  will  repay  the  reader  for  the  trouble  of 
inspection.     This  building  was  commenced  in  1873. 

It  is  difficult  for  the  present  writer  to  imagine  what  Dal- 
housie  Square  can  have  looked  like  in  the  days  when  his 
father  was,  Uke  himself,  a  Bengal  Chaplain.  Crossing 
over  from  Howrah  in  a  green  boat — there  was  no  bridge  in 
his  time — my  father  would  have  seen  a  Dalhousie  Square 
without  the  present  Writers'  Buildings,  Post  Office,  Tele- 
graph Office,  and  without  those  magnificent  commercial 
buildings  which  make  one  wonder  why  the  Strand  in 
London  can  afford  to  remain  comparatively  so  humble. 
I  cannot  but  help  feeling  that  the  ' '  Park '' '  of  Holwell's 
time  is  more  within  the  range  of  my  imagination  than  is 
the  "Tank  Place"  through  which  my  parents  in  their 
short  time  in  Bengal,  must  have  passed  so  often.  At  Lord 
Curzon's  instigation  the  historical  square  has  been  placed 
under  the  control  of  the  Lieutenant-Governor  of  Bengal, 
and  a  skilled  landscape  gardiner,  Mr.  Lane  of  the  Botanic 
Gardens,  has  been  entrusted  with  its  beautification. 

Before  we  turn  to  the  right  into  Old  Court  House  Street, 
we  notice  the  Currency  Office  on  our  left.  The  Government 
acquired  this  noble  edifice  when  the  Agra  and  Master- 
man's  Banks  failed.  The  reader  who  has  an  interest  in 
what  may  be  called  commercial  architecture  should  not 
fail  to  inspect  the  interior  as  well  as  the  exterior  of  this 
finely  proportioned  office. 

South  of  the  Currency  office  runs  Mango  Lane.  Mission 
Row,  which  leads  into  the  lane,  is  the  old  "  Rope  walk'  — a 
century  and-a-half  ago  the  evening  promenade  of  jaded 
civilians  from  the  then  Writers'  Buildings.  Keeping 
on  our  way  southwards  down  Old  Court  House  Street  we 
pass  British  Indian  Street,  said  by  Long  and  probably 
said  without  truth  to  have  been  the  scene  of  a  fierce 
struggle  in  the  day  of  the  famous  siege. 

We  have  now  reached  the  Great  Eastern  Hotel.  On 
the  South  side  of  that  enormous  building  is  Waterloo 
Street  and  opposite  the  Hotel  rises  the  lofty  and  recently 
erected  Ezra  Mansions,  which  have    covered    the    site    of 


154  GUIDE   TO   CALCUTTA. 

an  old  house  where,  according  to  Long,  once  dwelt  the 
pugnacious  Commander-in-Chief,  General  Clavering. 

The  hour  and  the  place  is  now  reached  for  tiffin.  We  can  do  very  well  for 
ourselves  at  Signer  Peliti's  restaurant,  and,  while  the  waiter  busies  himself 
with  the  necessary  preparations,  we  will,  if  not  too  tired,  set  ourselves  once 
more  in  the  by-gone  days  and  wonder  the  when,  the  what  and  the  wherefore 
of  tiffin  in  years  now  long  past. 

In  fancy,  we  are  no  longer  in  one  of  the  bathing-machine-like  compartments 
of  a  modern  restaurant,  but  either  in  the  parlour  of  Mr.  Creighton's 
Harmonic  Tavern  in  Lai  Bazar  or  at  the  London  Tavern,  kept  by  Messrs. 
Martin  &  Parr,  close  to  the  Assembly  Rooms  in  Vansitart  Row.  Perhaps  we 
shall  prefer  Mr.  Creighton's  establishment,  for  in  our  Gazette  of  November 
II,  1784,  he  boasts  of  a  "new  method  of  preserving  and  cleansing  oysters  so 
as  to  render  them  of  a  fine  flavour,  and  give  them  a  preference  above  any 
ever  brought  to  this  place,"  and  he  also  informs  us  that  he  has  good 
cask  porter.  Mr.  Creighton  will  no  doubt  be  able  to  give  us  turtle  soup,  for 
has  he  not  advertised  '"any  person  having  Turtle  to  dispose  of,  may  hear  of 
a  purchaser  in  applying  to  Mr.  Creighton  at  the  New  Tavern  ?"  Then,  again, 
rough  company  is  to  be  expected  at  the  London  Tavern.  We,  on  the  whole 
prefer  to  eat  our  oysters  at  Creighton's,  especially  as  it  is  not  Thursday — the 
day  in  the  week  on  whioli  Messrs.  Marti>:  &  Part  fit  up  their  larger  and  exten- 
sive rooms  in  a  rural  style,"  and  please  our  ears  with  a  ''band  of  music,  as 
good  as  can  be  provided,  conjisting  of  French  Horas,  Clarionets,  etc."     In  vain 

the  Proprietors  of  the  London  Tavern  prate  to  U3  of  "  rural  walks with 

several  alcoves  conveniently  interspersed  in  them  where  there  will  always  be 
prepared  the  best  collation."  In  vain  they  assure  us  ""the  accommodation 
will  be  so  arranged  that  a  variety  of  parties  may  enjoy  themselves  without 
mixing  with  others,  or  being  subject  to  the  intrusion  usual  at  public  places  of 
amusement."     The  lady  doth  protest  too  much  :  Creighton's  in  our  choice. 

0  admirable  Creighton  !  How  is  it  that  we,  with  your  aristocratic  clientele 
can  eat  your  oysters  and  drink  your  '  "good  cask  porter' '  and  not  within  a  few 
hours  he  lying  where  your  mortal  body  is  now  ?  Did  it  not  take  you 
whole  weeks  to  bring  your  oysterJ  from  the  Oyster  River  to  our  far  inland  city? 
Have  we  not  to-day  "the  greyhounds  of  the  East"  and  swift  trains  to  bring 
us  Such  luxuries  from  Diamond  Harbour,  and  even  so  we  have  no  oysters.? 
You  tell  us  that  you  have  fitted  ''up  two  places  for  the  accommodation  of  gen- 
tlemen, and  an  additional  well  for  the  oysters. "  O,  great  and  glorious  Creigh- 
ton, we  hail  you  not  only  as  one  whose  dainties  we  poor  plainsmen  accept 
without  scruple  or  diffidence  but  also  as  a  remote  prototype  of  those  high 
celestials  who  from  high  hill  stations  so  lovingly  adjust  the  climate  of  the 
plains  to  the  skins  of  their  inferiors,  and  hold  that  the  lot  of  men  in  Calcutta 
has  fallen  in  pleasant  places.  "Two  additional  places  for  the  accommoda- 
tion of  gentlemen,  and  an  additional  well  for  the  Oysters."  Coquin  de  sort, 
Creighton,  you  deserve  your  toast  in  Vermouth  and  Bitters. 

We  have  devoured  our  oysters  and  sipped  our  porter,  and  are  now  prepared 
for  the  turtle  soup.  The  next  item  on  the  bill  of  fare  is  a  highly  seasoned 
Burdwan  stew,  served  up  in  a  silver  saucepan  and  consisting  of  a  mixture  of 
flesh  fish,  and  fowl.  Our  menu  is,  however,  subject  to  the  proviso  that  we 
do  not  prefer  'cold  ham,  cold  chickens,  cold  shubs."  We  now  go  in  search 
of  a  place  where  to  sleep,  and  as  the  time  we  are  keeping  is  vague  in  the 
extreme,  we  may  perhaps  wake  up  five  years  later  and  dine  with  my  Lord 
Cornwallis  on  New  Year's  Day  at  the  Old  Court  House,at  3-30  P.M.,  on  turtle 
and  turkey.  We  shall  dance  from  9-30  to  supper  at  12-0  P.M.,  and  then  goi 
home  with  a  satisfied    feeling    that    we    cannot    remember    any    previous] 


"  FOUR   BOTTLE   MKN."  155 

occasion  on  which  the  gentlemen  could  have  danced  a  minuet  after  supper, 
for  as  our  contemporary,  the  authoress  of  Hartly  House  has  recorded  "Every 
lady,  even  to  your  humble  servant  drink  at  least  a  bottle  per  diem,  and 
the  gentlemen  drink  four  times  as  much."  But  we  can't  dine  with 
Lord  Cornwallis  every  day  so  in  ordinary  we  have  a  light  supper 
about  10  o'clock,  a  glass  or  two  of  wine  with  a  crust  and  cheese.  Our  hookah- 
hurdar  brings  us  the  smoking  vessel  which  our  great-grandsons  will  not 
tolerate  at  any  cost,  and  then  about  11-0  P.M.  we  shall  not  turn  in,  but  lie 
outside. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

DUM    DUM. 

[To  visit  Dum  Dum,  the  former  home  of  the  illustrious  Bengal  Artillery  and 
the  birth-place  of  the  world-dreaded  bullet,  one  has  a  choice  of  routes.  The 
most  comfortable  plan  is  to  take  a  first  class  ghari  and  drive  there  and 
back.  A  convenient  train  to  Dum  Dum  Cantonments  Station  may  be  caught 
in  the  early  morning  at  Sealdah.  and  the  tourist  can  either  return  by  train 
in  the  afternoon  or  else  take  a  ticca  ghari  at  Dum  Dum  and  drive  to  meet 
the  electric  tram  at  Belgachia.  He  should  in  this  case  be  careful  to  get 
into  the  tram  that  goes  to  Calcutta  via  College  Street.  The  cyclist,  of 
course,  needs  only  to  study  the  map.] 

In  ancient  times  the  site  of  Dum  Dum  seems  to  have 
been  covered  by  an  ancient  forest  — a  home  of  buffaloes 
and  tigers.  In  the  XVIIIth  century  Calcutta  sportsmen 
established  their  Jockey  Club  and  refreshment  room  (the 
"bread  and  cheese  bungalow")  at  the  South  corner  of 
Sealdah,  opposite  the  Baitakhana,  and  thence  went  in 
search  of  tigers  and  wild  boars  at  Dum  Dum.  The 
neighbourhood  of  Sealdah  was,  as  we  have  seen,  the  site 
of  CUve's  brilliant  flank  attack  on  the  Nawab  on  the 
foggy  morning  of  February  5th,  1757.  The  consequent 
treaty  was  signed  at  Dum  Dum,  where  Clive  erected 
his  country-house. 

Dum  Dum  as  an  artillery  station  dates  from  1783  :  but 
for  many  years  it  was  only  used  in  the  cold  weather-  It 
subsequently  remained  the  Head  Quarters  of  the  Bengal 
Artillery  until  the  year  185.3.  On  his  way  to  the  station, 
the  reader  may  perhaps  care  to  peruse  these  few  notes 
on  the  origin  of  the  Bengal  Artillery. 

Although  the  earliest  English  settlements  were  avowedly  mercantile,  a  few 
Artillerjmen  weie  found  necessary  for  their  protection.  Thus  Shaistah  Khan, 
in  his  Arracan  War  in  1664,  applied  to  the  English  at  Hughli  for  the  loan  of  a 
Company  of  European  gunners.  Twenty  years  later,  when  the  capture  of 
Chittagong  was  under  contemplation  200  pieces  of  ordnance  and  six  companies 
of  infantry  were  despatched  to  the  Bay  of  Bengal,  with  Admiral  Nicholson's 
fleet.  In  the  records  we  find  mention  of  "'the  Gun-room  crew" — "the 
■Gunner  and  his  crew."     In  1748  the    Court   of    Directors    ordered    regular 


THE   BENGAL   ARTILLERY.  157 

Artillery  companies  to  be  formed  at  each  of  the  Presidencies,  Roman  Catho- 
lics, "black  Indians,"  "persons  of  mixed  breed"  were  under  no  "pretence  tO' 
be  admitted  to  set  foot  in  our  laboratories  or  any  of  the  military  maga- 
zines "  or  have  "a  copy  or  sight  of  any  accounts  or  papers  relating  to  any 
military  stores  whatever."  Any  ofiBcer  or  soldier  who  should  marry  a  Papist 
or  whose  wife  should  become  one  was  at  once  to  be  transferred  to  the 
Infantry ! 

In  1756  the  strength  of  the  Company,  exclusive  of  details  at  the  outposts, 
was  45  men.  In  December,  Clive  brought  with  him  80  Artillerymen  from 
Madras,  and  in  March  1757,  a  detachment  of  Artillery  under  Robert  Barker 
arrived  from  Bombay.  After  his  victories,  Clive  in  June  1758  organised  these 
details  into  an  Artillery  Company:  and  in  September  this  Company  was  sub- 
divided : 

1st  under  Captain  Jennings,    accompaiued     Colonel    Ford's  expedi- 
tion to  the  Northern  Circars  and  distinguished  itself  at  the  seige  of 
Musulipatam  and  the  battle  of  Condore.     A  small  detail  had  been 
left    beliind     at   Patna   in    1758,  and  was  nearly  annihilated  in  an 
engagement  with  the  forces  of  Shah  Allum  (1760).     The  survivors 
were  attached  to  the  Ist  Company  on  its  return  to  the  Presidency. 
2ad  under  Captain   Broadbridge,  did  splendid  service     at    Bidderah 
on  November  25,  1759.     The  whole  of  this  Company  perished  in  the 
awful  massacre  at  Patna  in  October    1763. 
Consequent    upon  this  disaster,  the  first  Company  was  first  reinforced  and 
then  sub-divided,  and  in  September,  1763.  a  third  company  was   formed.     It 
is  needless  to  add  that  the    artillery    contributed    to    the   success   of   every 
memorable  campaign,  and  did  their  work  under  the  greatest    difficulties  as 
draught    bullocks   only — slow    to    move   to  attack  and  certain  of  capture  in 
case  of  defeat — could  be  provided  for  the  guns. 

On  August  5th,  1765,  Clive  divided  the  Bengal  Army  into  three  brigades 
and  attached  an  Artillery  Company  to  each  brigade.  A  fourth  Company  was 
raised  for  the  defence  of  Fort  William. 

In  1770  a  new  organisation  was  effected.  A  fifth  Company  having  been 
formed,  the  Corps  was  formed  into  a  Battalion,  with  a  Lieutenant-Colonel  to 
command.  In  the  previous  year  Lieutenant-Colonel  Deane  Pearse  assumed 
the  command,  and  in  the  twenty  years  during  which  he  held  it,  he  won  for 
himself  the  proud  distinction  of  being  '"the  Father  of  the  Bengal  Artillery." 
How  he  found  things  his  own  words  will  tell  us  ;  '  "When  I  first  came  into  thf 
Command  of  the  corps,  I  was  astonished  at  the  ignorance  of  all  who  composed 
it.  It  was  a  common  practice  to  make  any  midshipman,  who  was  discontented 
with  the  India  ships,  an  Officer  of  artillery,  from  a  strange  idea  that  a  know- 
ledge of  navigation  would  perfect  an  officer  of  that  corps  in  the  knowledge  of 
artillery.  They  were  almost  all  of  this  class,  and  their  ideas  consonant  to 
the  elegant  military  education  which  they  had  received.     But  thank  God  I 

have  got  rid  of  all  of  them  but  seven When    I    was   at   practice   in 

1770,  the  fuzes  burnt  from  19  to  48  seconds,  though  of  the  same  nature. 
The  portfires  were  continually  going  out.  The  tubes  would  not  burn  !  The 
powder  was  infamous.  The  cartridges  were  made  conical,  and  if  it  was 
necessary  to  prime  with  loose  powder,  a  great  quantity  was  required  to- 
fill  the  vacant  cavity  round  the  cartridge.  The  cartridge  flew  into  pieces 
with  common  firing  in  a  week.  All  this,  I  represented,  but  my  represent- 
ation was  quashed ;  the  contractors  still  make  the  cartridges,  the  labora- 
tory is  in  the  same  hands  and  I  have  no  more  to  do  with  it  than  His 
Holiness  at  Rome." 

Lieutenant-Colonel  Pearse,  as  a  devoted  friend  of  Warren  Hastings, 
naturally  and  most  unfortunately  incurred  the  hostility  of  the  Governor's- 
enemies.     His  work  was  therefore  constantly  thwarted  by  the  high  dignitaries 


158  GUIDE   TO    CALCUTTA. 

who  cared  more  to  snub  a  foe  than  to  promote  the  efBcieney  of  the  service. 
But  in  securing  for  his  officers  quicker  and  more  regular  promotion,  and  him- 
self superintending  their  scientific  education,  Pearse  step  by  step  built  up 
the  fame  of  the  Bengal  Artillery. 

In  1777  the  re-organisation  of  the  troops  of  the  Nawab  V'izier  of  Oude 
necessitatedtheextension  of  the  sphere  of  the  Bengal  Artillery,  and  alsoto  the 
organisation  of  "Golundaz"  or  native  companies  of  artillery  for  English  ser- 
vice. TheMutiny  of  18.57  proved  the  danger  involved  in  Pearse's  plan,  to 
have  been  really  existant,  but  in  1778  it  certainly  seemed  a  real 
economy  "to  convert  the  inefficient  lascars  into  efficient  artillery- 
men, by  the  simple  process  of  changing  the  marine  designations 
of  the  several  grades  from  serang,  tindal  and  lasear  to  subadar,  jemadar 
and  golundaz,  by  increasing  their  pay,  placing  them  on  a  footing  with  the 
Infantry  sipahies,  giving  them  a  portion  of  European  officers  instilling  a  pride 
and  confidence  in  themselves  and  their  profession,  in  a  word  by  raising  their 
condition  from  that  of  military  pilots  to  soldiers."  At  the  same  time  as  the 
■Golundaz  Companies,  European  companies  of  Artillery  Invalids  were  formed 
for  Chunar  and  Fort  William. 

In  1786,  in  accordance  with  direct  orders  from  England,  the  whole  Army 
was  re-organised,  and  the  Artillery  was  formed  into  a  Regiment  of  three  Bat- 
talions, but  a  year  later  it  was  converted  into  a  Brigade,  and  on  this  footing 
it  remained  until  1796.  In  June  1789,  Colonel  Pearse,  after  20  years'  service, 
died  in  Calcutta  at  the  early  age  of  47.  In  1796  a  radical  change  was  made 
in  the  organisation  of  the  whole  Army,  and  a  year  later  the  arrangement  of  the 
Artillery  as  a  Regiment  of  three  Battalions  was  restored. 

In  1800  we  meet  with  the  first  instance  of  the  introduction  of  Horse 
Artillery  in  Bengal.  An  experimental  Brigade  of  two  Horse  Artillery  gwoB 
was  organised  at  Dum  Dum  under  the  command  of  Lieutenant  Clementa 
Brown. 

The  chief  places  of  interest  at  Dum  Dum  are  : — 
St.  Stephen's  Church. — Built  in  1822  and  consecrated 
in  1823  by  Bishop  Heber.  On  the  walls  are  monuments 
to  Officers  of  the  Bengal  Ai-tillery.  One  of  these  is  peculi- 
arly worthy  of  quoting  in  this  place,  for  it  is  an  eloquent 
testimony,  not  only  to  the  distinguished  career  of  an 
individual  officer,  but  to  the  strenuous  services  of  the 
body  to  which  he  was  attached  : 

"Sacred  to  the  memory  of  Sir  Alexander  Macleod,  Knight  Companion  of  the 
Most  Ilon'ble  Order  of  tlie  Bath,  Colonel  of  the  6th  Battalion,  Bengal  Artillery, 
Brigadier  on  the  Stag  of  the  Army  and  Commandant  of  Artillery,  who  died 
at  Dum-Dum  on  the  20th  August  1831.  Aged  64  years.  Sir  A.  JIacleod  entered 
the  Army  as  a  Cadet  of  Artillery  in  1784,  and  served  with  that  Army  during 
47  years  of  uninterrupted  Indian  duty.  In  1806  he  was  selected  by  Viscount 
Lake  (on  the  death  of  Captain  Hutcliinson  of  the  same  corps)  to  succeed  aa 
Commandant  of  the  then  important  advanced  post  of  Ramporah  Tonk,  and 
afterwards,  served  at  the  Sieges  of  Kamora,  Gunnoaree,  and  Bhowanee.  In 
1814  he  directed  the  Artillery  of  Sir  D.  Octerloney's  Army  during  the  briUiant 
Campaign  of  the  field  movements  and  sieges  against  the  Ghoorkali  Commander- 
in-Chief,  Ummeer  Singh  Thapa.  In  1817  after  being  present  at  the  siege  of 
Hatras,  he  commanded  the  Artillery  of  Sir  R.  Donkins,  or  right  division  of  the 
grand  army  under  the  Marquess  of  Hastings,  in  the  Mahratta  and  Pindaree 


DUM    DUM.  159 

Wai'.  In  November  1823  he  was  appointed  Commandant  of  the  Regiment 
of  Artillery,  in  which  capacity,  in  1825,  he  accompanied  Viscount  Combeimere 
to  the  field  and  directed  the  Artillery  in  the  great  siege  operations  which  ter- 
minated in  the  Assault  and  Capture  of  Bhurtpore  in  January  1826.  Sir  Alex- 
ander Macleod  died  in  Command  of  the  Corps,  honoured  by  his  Comrades  as 
a  gallant  Soldier,  esteemed  as  a  kind  Commander,  and  beloved  as  a  good  man." 

In  the  Churchyard  a  tall  column — sadly  in  need  of 
attention — commemorates  Colonel  Thomas  Deane  Pearse, 
the  trusty  friend  of  Warren  Hastings.  The  Colonel  lies 
buried  in  the  South  Park  Street  Cemetery  in  Calcutta. 

The  Cantonments  — Close  to  the  South  wall  of  the  Small 
Arms  Factory  stands  a  lofty  column  erected  in  1844.  We 
give  a  portion  of  the  inscription. 

"  To  the  memory  of  Captain  Thomas  Nicholl,  Lieutenant  Chaklbs 
Stewart,  Sergeant-Major  Mulhall,  and  the  non-commissioned  officers 
and  men  of  the  1st  Troop,  1st  Brigade  Bengal,  Horse  Artillery,  who  fell 
in  the  performance  of  their  duty  during  the  insurrection  at  and  retreat 
from  Cabul  in  the  months  oT  November  and  December  1841  and  January 
1842,  on  which  occasions  of  unprecedented  trial  officers  and  men  upheld 
in  the  most  noble  manner,  the  character  of  the  regiment  to  which  they 
belonged.  This  gallant  band  formed  the  oldest  Troop  in  the  Bengal 
Artillery.  It  had  previously  been  distinguished  on  numerous  occasions, 
having  served  in  Etjypt,  the  Mahratta  and  Nepal  wars,  and  in  Ava.  Also 
to  the  memory  of  the  undermentioned  officers  of  the  Royal  Artillery  : — 
Lieutenant  Charles  Alexander  Green,  who  perished  in  command  of  a 
detail  of  Shah  Shuja's  mountain  train,  and  whose  gallant  conduct 
emulated  that  of  his  comrade,  Lieutenant  Richard  Maule,  who  was 
killed  at  the  outbreak  of  the  insurrection  in  November,  and  Lieutenant 
Alesanander  Christie,  killed  in  the  Khybar  Pass  on  the  return  of  the 
victorious  army  under  the  command  of  MajorGeneral  Sir  George  Pollock, 
G.C.B.,  of  the  Bengal  Artillery." 

The  Small  Arms  Factory. — Permission  to  visit  this 
most  interesting  factory  must  be  obtained  from  the  officer 
in  charge  some  days  before  the  projected  visit.  The  rooms 
in  which  the  ammunition  boxes  are  constructed  will  be  first 
visited,  and  then  we  shall  be  shown  the  various  machines 
casting  and  fiUng  the  separate  portions  of  the  brass  cart- 
ridge tubes,  and  finally  putting  them  together  After 
passing  through  a  number  of  machines,  each  contributing 
some  detail  of  perfection  to  the  brass  cartridge  tubes,  the 
tubes  are  submitted  to  clever  little  boys  who,  with  great 
rapidity  and  accuracy,  test  each  case  to  see  whether  they 
will  fit  into  little  instruments  of  the  size  of  the  essential  part 
of  the  regulation  rifles.  Before  entering  the  explosive 
department  the  visitor  must  make  over  any  matches  he  may 


160  GUIDE    TO    CALCUTTA. 

have  in  his  pockets  to  the  care  of  a  porter,  and  change 
his  shoes  (if  they  are  nailed)  for  sewn  leather  slippers. 
He  will  then  witness  the  preparation  of  lyddite  and 
finally  its  insertion  into  the  cartridge  caps.  It  need 
hardly  be  said  that  the  last  stages  of  the  process  are 
somewhat  dangerous,  but  accidents  are  practically 
unknown.  To  follow  the  manufacture  of  a  cartridge 
through  the  various  departments  of  the  factory  will 
require  a  whole  afternoon. 

The  Old  Bengal  Artillery  Officers'  Mess. — A  fine 
bungalow  close  to  the  Church,  now  used  as  a  Soldiers' 
club. 

Lord  Olive's  House. — Described  thus  by  Bishop 
Heber  : — 

November,  1824.  ""The  Commandant.  Genera)  Hardwioke,  with  "whom 
we  spent  the  day,  resides  in  a  large  house,  built  on  an  artificial  mound  of  con- 
siderable height  above  the  neighbouring  country,  and  surrounded  by  very 
pretty  walks  and  shrubberies.  The  house  has  a  venerable  appearance,  and 
its  lower  story,  as  well  as  the  mound  on  which  it  stands,  is  said  to  be  of  some 
antiquity,  at  least  for  Bengal,  where  so  many  powerful  agents  of  destruction 
are  always  at  work,  that  no  architecture  can  be  durable, — and  though  ruins 
and  buildings  of  apparently  remote  date  are  extremely  common,  it  would 
perhaps  be  difficult  to  find  a  single  edifice  150  years  old.  This  building  is  of 
brick,  with  small  windows  and  enormous  buttresses.  The  upper  story,  which 
is  of  the  style  usual  in  Calcutta,  was  added  by  Lord  Clive,  who  also  laid  out 
the  gardens  and  made  this  his  country-house".     Journal,  Vol.  I,  p.  43-4. 

Fairley  Hall. — Close  to  the  Church,  was  the  resi- 
dence  of   Henry   Lawrence  in  his  early  days  in  India. 

Not  so  many  years  ago  Dum  Dum  enjoyed  an  evil 
reputation  on  account  of  cholera — one  house  in  particular 
being  known  as  "Cholera  Hall."  Improvements  in  sani- 
tation and  above  all  a  reUable  water-supply  have 
removed  the  reproach,  and  when  the  electric  tram  service 
has  been  extended  to  Dum  Dum  there  can  be  no  doubt 
that  Lord  Olive's  country-retreat  will  become  a  popular 
and  perhaps  fashionable  suburb  of  Calcutta. 

In  addition  to  the  Enghsh  Church,  Dum  Dum  has  a 
Roman  OathoUc  Church  and  a  Methodist  Chapel. 


MM 


CHAPTER  X. 

The  Upper  Portion  op  the  Strand. 

The  Bank  of  Bengal — Jmperial  Library — Howrah  Bridge — 
The.  Royal  Mint — Mayo  Hospital — Nimlollah  Burning 
Ghdt. 

Ix  a  previous  ramble  we  inspected  the  Strand  Road 
from  the  Fort  as  far  as  Chandpal  Ghat.  We  will  com- 
mence this  morning  at  the  historic  landing  place  of  Sir 
Philip  Francis  and  his  colleagues. 

The  Strand  Road  is  essentially  a  piece  oi  New  Calcutta. 
Looking  at  Apjohn's  map  of  1794  we  see  the  long  Hne  of 
roadway  running  up  the  present  Clive  and  Dharmahatta 
Streets  occupying  the  position  of  Calcutta's  river  face.  In  the 
year  of  the  Siege,  1756,  the  river  flowed  where  these  streets 
now  are.  As  the  river  retreated  westwards,  land  was  re- 
claimed and  in  1823  the  task  of  building  a  "New  Strand" 
was  commenced.  At  one  spot,  and  I  think  at  one  spot 
only,  was  it  necessary  to  interfere  with  former  arrange- 
ments. Chandpal  Ghat  has  apparently  not  changed  its 
position.  Close  to  it  in  1820  was  a  house  occupied  by  a 
Mr.  Tyler  and  to  the  North  of  the  house  was  a  grove  of 
trees — "  the  beautiful  trees  of  the  Respondentia.  " 
Contemporary  Newspapers  bear  witness  to  the  heart-burn- 
ings which  the  felling  of  these  trees  created.  The  Responden- 
tia Walk,  the  ancient  haunt  "of  those  fond  of  moonlight 
rambles,  and  of  children  with  their  train  of  servants  as  no 
horses  we? :;  allowed  to  go  on  it"  was  swallowed  up  in  the 
Strand.  Southwards  the  road  was  carried  on  to  join  with 
Garden  Reach,  passing  East  of  where  Prinsep's  Ghat  now 
stands  and  along  what  is  now  called  Napier  Road. 
The  continued  retreat  of  the  river  has  left  room  for  a  new 
Strand  Road  to  the  West  of  the  old  one.  Calcutta  folk  as 
they  drive  in  the  cool  of  the  evening  are  wont  to  regret  their 
inability  to  continue  their  way  further  along  the  river  bank. 

F,  GC  11 


162  GUIDE   TO   CALCUTTA. 

They  do  not  realise  the  extent  to  which  the  original  Strand 
Road  has  been  deserted  by  the  river. 

The  Strand  Road  was  not  completed  until  1831.  In  1823 
the  Respondentia  had  been  cleared  away,  a  site  marked 
out  for  a  New  Mint,  and  the  banks  of  the  river  from 
Colvin's  Ghat  northwards  sloped  and  plotted  with  grass. 
Near  to  the  Mint  was  to  have  been  the  Bishop's  Palace, 
but  nothing  came  of  this  idea.  The  sordid  exigencies  of 
commercial  activity  have  defeated  those  early  schemes 
for  making  northern  Calcutta  beautiful.  To  drive  from 
Chandpal  Ghat  to  NimtoUah  is  now-a-days  invariably  a 
torture  to  our  nerves. 

Leaving  the  High  Court  to  the  right,  we  soon  come 
to  the  Bank  of  Bengal.  These  buildings  were  erected 
in  the  year  1825  at  the  cost  of  Rs.  61,500.  In  1900 
Nos.  1  &  2  Strand  Road  and  No.  1  Esplanade,  West,  were 
acquired  under  the  Land  Acquisition  Act.  The  large  hall 
the  North  and  South  wings,  and  the  extension  towards  the 
Secretary's  house  were  erected  by  Messrs.  Mackintosh, 
Burn  &  Co.,  in  1879. 

The  original  Charter  was  granted  to  the  Bank  of  Bengal  by  Lord  Minto  and 
is  dated  January  2,  1809,  the  day  on  which  the  Directors  also  held  their  first 
meeting.  To  obviate  any  chance  of  the  Bank  falling  into  the  hands  of  a  clique 
of  shareholders  it  was  provided  that  not  more  than  a  lac  of  stock  should  be 
held  by  any  single  shareholder.  At  the  same  time  a  limitation  of  advances 
to  Government  was  set  at  five  lacs.  "This  restriction,"  writes  Mr.  Brungate, 
"was  probably  borrowed  from  the  constitution  of  the  Bank  of  England.  The 
statute  of  1695  prohibited  the  Bank  from  making  advances  without  the  ex- 
press permission  of  Parliament.  The  restriction  was  one  limiting  the  powers 
of  the  Crown  as  much  as  those  of  the  Bank.  Pitt  got  this  provision  set  aside 
in  1793,  and  his  constant  demands  on  the  Directors  for  advances  involved  the 
Bank  in  the  utmost  difficulty  and  peril.  The  recollection  of  this  must  have 
been  fresh  in  the  minds  of  the  founders  of  the  Bank  of  Bengal.  Again,  the 
Bank  of  England  was  prohibited  from  charging  a  higher  rate  of  interest  than 
five  per  cent,  till  the  modification  of  Usury  Ihws  of  1839.  Other  points  of  re- 
semblance in  the  constitution  of  the  two  Banks  could  be  referred  to."  The 
Bank  on  its  formation  took  over  the  affairs,  and  officers  of  a  provincial  Bank 
of  Calcutta  opened  on  May  1,  1806.  The  first  of  the  numerous  Mofussii 
agencies  was  established  at  Mirzapore  in  1839,  and  in  the  same  year  the  Bank 
received  a  new  Charter  and  once  again  in  1862.  Four  years  later,  came  the 
great  crisis  of  1866,  when  no  less  than  six  banking  houses  in  Calcutta  closed 
their  doors.  Indeed,  the  Bank  of  England  itself  on  May  16th  had  only  five 
per  cent,  in  reserve  for  its  liabilities,and  only  15  per  cent,  to  meet  the  Banker's 
balances.  The  Bank  of  Bengal  came  proudly  through  the  year,  and  with 
profits  so  large  that  the  Directors  ordered  a  bonus  of  one  month's  pay  to  be 
granted  to  the  staff.  In  1898  a  new  agreement  was  entered  into  in  respect 
of  the  conduct  of  Government  business  by  the  Bank. 


THE   IMPERIAL   LIBUAKY.  ]  (;;} 

Passing  on  our  way,  we  find  ourselves  before  the  Imper- 
ial Library.     The  building   was  designed   by  the  amateur 
architect,  C.  K.  Eobinson,  who  gave  the  Ochterlony  Mem- 
orial to  Calcutta,  and  it  is  said  to  represent  in  plaster  and 
rubble  the  portico  of  the  Temple  of  the  Winds  at  Athens. 
It  was  erected  as  a  memorial  to  Sir  C.  Metcalfe,  Governor 
General   in  1836,   and    "'the    emancipator  of   the   Indian 
Press."     The  entrance  is  by  a  staircase  under  a  colonnade 
on  the  East  side  of  the  building.     (Turn  up  Hare  Street.) 
A  few  years  ago  the  lower  floor  was  occupied  by  the  Agri- 
cultural and  Horticultural  Society,  and  the  upper  floor  by 
the  Calcutta  Public  Library  (founded  in  1835  established 
at  the  Metcalfe  Hall  in  1844).     Some  four   years   ago  the 
building    was   taken    over,  and,  after    a  weeding   out    of 
unneeded    volumes,    the  Library  was    amalgamated  with 
the  Imperial  Library    brought    hither    from  Government 
Place,   and  under  the  experienced  directon  of  Mr.  Mac- 
farlane   of   the    British   Museum,  a  splendid    Library  has 
been    provided  for    the  benefit  of    the    Calcutta    Public. 
It  was    opened  on     30th    January     1903,  by    the    Viceroy 
Lord  Curzon  who  had  originated  and  carried  out  th«  scheme 
and  who  in  his  speech  explained  the  history  and  objects  of 
the  undertaking.     All  interested  in  Old  Calcutta  will  do 
well  to  inspect  the  ancient  prints  exposed  to  view  on  the 
stair-case  walls. 

We  now,  crossing  Hare  Street,  find  on  our  right  the  Port 
Commissioners'  Offices,  the  Government  Port  Offices,  erected 
in  1890  and  the  Custom  House  buildings. 

No.  13  Strand  Road  is  the  Calcutta  Sailors'  Home. 
The  original  home  was  founded  in  Bow  Bazar  in  the  house 
which  is  now  the  office  of  the  Commissioner  of  Police.  The 
present  building  was  erected,  under  Lord  Lawrence's  special 
care  with  funds  procured  by  the  sale  of  the  former  home. 
We  pass  through  a  gauntlet  of  shipping  offices  on  one 
side  and  godowns  on  the  other  till  we  reach  Harrison 
Road  and  the  Howrah  Bridge. 

In  the  year  1855-56  a  committee  was  appointed  to  con- 
sider proposals  for  a  bridge  across  the  Hughly,  at  or  near 
Calcutta,  but  the  subject  was  allowed  to  drop,  until  1868 
when  the  idea  was  revived.  Sir  W.  Grey,  the  then  Lieute- 
nant-Governor of   Bengal,  was  in  favour  of  a  road-bridge 


164  GUIDE    TO    CALCUTTA. 

at  Armenian  Ghat,  but  suggested  a  floating-bridge 
"  as  a  temporary  measure."  The  question  of  a  more 
permanent  structure  was,  apparently,  mixed  up  with  the 
question  of  a  central  railway  station  for  Calcutta.  The 
Government  of  India  concluded  that  it  would  be  wiser  to 
construct  a  bridge  higher  up  the  river  and  bring  passengers 
by  rail  into  Sealdah.  In  the  meanwhile  they  were  prepared 
to  give  their  support  to  the  proposed  floating  road-bridge. 
In  1871  an  Act  was  passed  to  enable  the  Lieutenant- 
Governor  (Sir  G.  Campbell)  to  construct,  at  the  expense  of 
Government,  a  bridge  across  the  Hughly,  to  fix  tolls, 
and  to  appoint  the  Port  Commissioners  to  carry  out  the 
purposes  of  the  Act.  In  moving  for  leave  to  bring  in  this 
Bill,  the  Hon'ble  Sir  Ashley  Eden  stated  that  a  contract 
had  been  entered  into  with  Sir  Bradford  Leslie  and  that 
it  was  hoped  the  bridge  would  be  completed  by  the 
beginning  of  1873,  at  a  cost  not  exceeding  £150,000. 
The  several  portions  of  the  bridge  were  manufactured 
in  England  and  put  together  in  Bengal. 

The  construction  of  the  Calcutta-Howrah  floating-bridge  over  the  Hughly 
was  completed  in  1874  under  the  supervision  of  Mr.  (Sir)  Bradford  Leslie,  c.E., 
K.c.i.E.  An  unfortunate  accident  by  which  two  sections  of  the  bridge  were 
destro3"ed,  occurred  on  the  20th  March,  1874.  The  steamer  Egeria  broke 
from  her  moorings  in  the  river,  and  came  into  collision  with  the  bridge. dam- 
aging and  sinking  three  pontoons,  and  completely  destroj-ing  two  hundred 
feet  of  the  superstructure  of  the  bridge,  especially  the  main  truss-girders 
which  were  twisted  and  torn  to  pieces.  The  sunken  pontoons  were  recovered, 
but  a  good  deal  of  expenditure  was  incurred  in  clearing  the  wreck,  and  great 
delay  was  caused.  Altogetherthe  costof  repairing  thedamages  caused  by  this 
accident  was  estimated  to  have  beenover  Rs.  80,000.  Had  not  this  accident 
happened  and  much  valuable  time  been  lost  owing  to  materials  not  being 
.supplied  within  contract  dates,  the  bridge  would  have  been  completed 
between  1st  January  1873,  and  June,  1874.  It  was,  however,  opened  for 
traffic  on  the  17th  of  October,  and  after  that  date  proved  to  be  of  great  utility, 
some  40.000  or  .50,000  foot  passengers  crossing  it  dailj'.  It  was  described  at 
the  time  as  a  structure  of  much  novelty  and  originality  in  its  design.  Its 
length  was  stated  to  be  1,528  feet  between  abutments,  and  its  cost  to  have 
amounted  to  about  £220,000. 

The  exaction  of  tolls  has  for  many  years  been  a  matter 
of  the  past.     Just  above  Howrah  Bridge  we  notice  som©^ 
large  native  Bathing  Ghats. 

The  Royal  Mint. 

So  long-ago  as  1687,  an  Assay  Master,  a  Mr.  Smith,  was 
sent  out  from  England  on  a  salary  of  £60  per  ammm.     In 


J 


THE    MINT. 


165 


September  1704,  we  find  the  Council  complaining  "that  it 
would  be  much  better  for  the  Company  to  coin  their  own 
treasure,  instead  of  selling  it  in  chests,  but  the  freedom  of 
the  Mint  is  not  allowed  them,  without  the  payment  of 
heavy  custom  dues  which  they  refuse  to  do. 
On  October  17th,  1709,  they  write  • 

"  The  Government  having  often  refused  to  take  the  Madras  rupees  into  the 
King's  treasury,  has  caused  their  batta  to  fall  from  9  to  7  per  cent.  Agreed 
we  write  to  Madras  advising  them  thereof,  and  that  if  any  of  our  master's 
ships  should  arrive  with  their  belonging  to  Bengal,  they  send  us  down  the 
silver  uncoined,  which  will  be  a  much  better  account  than  Madras  rupees:  and 
now  we  have  got  the  Sahib's  perwana.  We  design  to  coin  the  company's 
treasure  at  Moradabad  [Murshedabad],  which  will  be  much  more  advanta- 
geous than  Madras  rupees  should  they  ever  rise  again  to  9  per  cent.  In  171  / 
the  Mogul  Emperor  granted  the  English  amongst  other  favours  the  free  use 
of  the  mint  at  Murshedabad,  but,  despite  the  imperial  receipts,  the  Nawab, 
Ja'far  Khan,  firstly  declined  the  English  agents  at  Cossimbazar  to  avail  him- 
self of  the  privilege.  The  fifth  article  of  the  Treaty  signed  between  Clive  and 
Suraj-ud-Daulah  provided  that  siecas  be  coined  at  Allenagar  [Calcutta]  in  the 
same  manner  as  at  Murshedabad,  that  the  money  struck  in  Calcutta,  be  of 
equal  weight  and  fineness  with  that  of  Moorshedabad.  ■'The  Purwannah 
for  the  Calcutta  Mint  was  granted  by  the  Nawab  in  1760,  but  after  much 
opposition  on  the  part  of  the  great  native  banker — Jaggat  Set. 

In  1762  the  first  money  was  coined  in  Calcutta  with  the  Mogul's  head  and 
a  Persian  inscription.  Copper  coin,  we  are  told,  was  not  introduced  into 
Bengal  until  1770,  and  change  for  a  rupee  was  given  in  cowries.*  For  some 
years  the  minting  was  done  by  contract  with  John  Prinsep  at  Phalta ;  in  1784 
he  handed  over  his  tools  to  the  Government." 

In  1791  a  Mint  was  estabUshed  on  the  site  of  the  once 
flourishing  ship-building  establishment  of  the  Gillets,  and 
here,  until  1832,  the  Government  coined  its  rupees.  The 
Old  Mint  in  1833  was  occupied  by  the  Stamp  and  Stationery 
Committee. 

On  the  last  day  of  March,  1824,  the  Architect,  Major 
N.  W.  Forbes,  laid  the  foundation  stone  "on  alluvial 
ground  gained  from  the  the  river,  at  an  average  depth  of 
25  feet  below  the  level  of  Clive  Street,  or  26J  below  the 
level  of  (the  old)  Mint,  so  that  there  is  more  brick 
work  below  the  ground  than  above  it.  "  The  central 
portico  facing  the  Strand  Eoad,  was  held  to  be  "a  copy, 

*  So  says  the  Rev.  J.  Long  in  the  Calc.  Review.  Vol  XVII  I,  p.  303.  But  1 
find  in  Mr  Long's  own  Selections  from  the  Records  {'No.  459)  a  complaint  from 
Capt.  Brohier  in  April,  17(iO,  that  the  coolies  and  artficers  at  work  on  the  Fort 
do  not  get  the  real  value  of  the  copper  money  they  are  paid  in  the  bazdrs.  See 
No.  105  for  the  refusal  of  Capt.  Cooke  of  the  Admiral  Vernean  to  board  ten 
tons  of  cowries  in  1753. 


166  GUIDE    TO    CALCUTTA. 

on  half  dimensions,  of  the  temple  of  Minerva  at  Athens." 
The  building  was  completed  in  six  years,  and  was 
opened  in  1831.  Up  to  April  30th,  1833,  twenty-four 
lacs  had  been  expended  on  the  New  Mint — eleven  for 
the  machinery  and  thirteen  for  the  buildings.  Another 
three  lacs  (mainly  on  building)  were  expended  during  the 
years  1833-1840." 

The  year  1835  was  memorable  for  the  passing  of 
the  Act  establishing  a  uniform  coinage  with  a  British 
device  for  the  whole  of  British  India. 

The  Copper  Mint,  to  the  N.  E.  of  the  Silver  Mint  was 
opened  in  1865.  In  front  of  it  are  the  residence  of  the  Mint 
Master,  his  Offices,  the  Library,  Assay  Office  and  Labora- 
tory, etc. 

The  following  account  of  the  working  of  the  Mint  is  from 
Thacker's  Guide  Book  to  Calcutta  (Mitchell)  : — 

"  The  visitor  to  the  Mint  must  be  provided  with  a  ticket 
of  admission,  which  may  be  procured  on  application 
to  the  Mint  Master.  At  the  gates  are  guards  and  a 
warder,  who  assigns  an  official  to  act  as  conductor.  The 
first  place  visited  is  the  department  known  as  the  pre- 
melting  room.  Here  the  silver  is  received  in  the  shape 
of  bars  or  coin,  such  as  dollars,  from  the  merchants  who 
have  to  pay  a  charge  of  2^'„  per  cent,  to  have  the  metal 
converted  into  rupees.  The  silver  is  first  weighed,  then 
melted,  and  a  sample  taken  for  the  Assay  Master.  The 
merchants  are  thereafter  paid  according  to  the  fineness  of 
the  metal  they  have  tendered.  The  bullion  is  next  made 
over  to  the  Mint  proper.  It  goes  first  to  the  bullion 
office  where  it  is  weighed  and  registered  by  two 
independent  officials.  It  is  then  locked  in  vaults  till 
issued  for  coining  or  disposed  of  outside  to  purchasers 
of  silver  in  the  uncoined  state.  When  the  silver  is 
weighed  in  this  department  for  the  melting  room,  there 
is  also  served  out  with  it,  for  every  pot,  the  proper 
amount  of  alloy,  the  proportion  being  eleven  parts  of 
silver  to  one  of  copper.  This  process  is  called,  techni- 
cally, 'alligating'  the  silver.  The  melter  receives 
delivery  of  the  two  ingredients  in  pots  capable  of  holding 
13,000  tolas  in  weight,  or  13,000  rupees  when  the  metals 
are    fused.     Part  of  the    material  he  will  carry  away  in 


THE    MINT.  167 

each  pot  will  be  'scissel,'  or  leavings  from  the  punching 
and  other  machines.  He  receives  deUvery  of  the  bullion 
in  an  iron  trolly  running  on  rails,  each  trolly  holding  four 
pots  in  four  separate  compartments.  Each  of  these  is 
sealed  by  the  bullion  room  master,  and  is  padlocked  by 
the  melter,  who  is  thenceforth  responsible  for  the  full 
amount,  so  long  as  the  silver  remains  in  his  department. 

In  the  melting  room  are  four  stacks  of  chimneys  with 
eight  furnaces  to  each  stack.  There  are  also  three  smaller 
stacks  for  gold  melting.  The  crucibles  are  made  of  plum- 
bago, and,  when  charged,  are  lifted  by  a  travelling  crane, 
swung  round  and  placed  in  the  furnaces.  When  fused, 
the  metal  is  stirred  to  mix  together  the  silver  and  copper. 
The  crane  again  hoists  up  the  crucibles,  and  the  molten 
amalgam  is  poured  into  moulds,  converting  it  into  bars  or 
ingots,  33  such  being  formed  from  every  pot  of  13,000  tolas. 
Prior  to  this  a  '  muster'  has  been  taken  from  each  pot  for 
assay  purposes,  this  being  done  by  granules  of  the  molten 
metal  being  dropped  into  water.  If  pronounced  up  to 
the  required  standard  the  ingots,  after  being  dressed  by 
two  beautiful  machines,  one  of  which  removes  the  rough 
edges  and  the  other  the  irregular  top  caused  by  the  mould- 
ing, are  passed  on  to  the  rolling  mills.  But  before 
leaving  the  melting  department,  the  visitor  will  be 
shown  some  elaborate  and  beautiful  processes  for  recover- 
ing the  particles  of  silver  which  may  have  splashed  out 
among  the  ashes  of  the  furnace  during  the  melting, 
or  may  lurk  in  the  charcoal,  a  layer  of  which  is  placed 
over  each  crucible  to  prevent  the  copper  from  oxidiz- 
ing by  contact  with  the  air.  To  show  the  nicety 
of  these  operations,  it  is  sufficient  to  say  that  the 
average  working  loss  in  the  melting  room  is  only  20 
tolas  per  lakh  of  rupees,  or  one  five  thousandth  part 
of  the  metal  dealt  with. 

The  silver  ingots  are  rolled  out  cold,  passing  through 
successive  rollers  till  they  emerge  in  the  form  of  strips 
one  sixteenth  part  of  an  inch  thick.  These  also  undergo 
a  process  of  fine  rolling  in  an  adjoining  room.  A 
blank  called  a  '  muster '  (sample)  is  then  cut  out  of 
each  strip  and  weighed  ;  this  shows  whether  the  metal 
has    been  rolled    to    the  correct  standard  of  thickness. 


168  GUIDE    TO    CALCUTTA. 

Tte  strips  of  silver  next  go  to  the  punching  machines 
which  are  ranged  round  a  large  circle.  Some  of  the 
punching  machines  vary  from  the  standard  by  the 
minutest  fraction  of  an  inch,  and  each  strip  of  silver 
is  passed  into  6ne  or  other  of  these  according  to  the 
weight  of  the  'muster'  above  mentioned,  any  slight  error 
in  rolling  being  thus  rectified  without  further  trouble. 
In  punching,  seven  per  cent,  of  blanks  is  obtained  from 
each  strip  ;  the  rest  goes  back  as  '  scissel'  for  re-melting. 
The  blanks  now  pass  to  the  weighing  room,  where  they 
are  subjected  to  one  of  the  most  beautiful  mechanical 
processes  known  to  science.  The  automatic  weighing 
machine  is  too  complex  an  apparatus  to  be  described 
here  :  it  will  be  sufficient  to  say  that  it  weighs  each 
coin,  and  drops  it  into  a  standard,  a  heavy  or  a  light 
box  working  quite  automatically  and  with  mathemati- 
cal precision.  So  delicate  is  the  mechanism  that  it 
can  detect  a  difierence  of  one  three  hundredth  fraction 
of  a  grain !  There  are  180  grains  weight  to  each  rupee, 
and  a  margin  of  f  of  a  grain  is  allowed  either  way  in 
passing  a  blank  up  to  standard  requirements.  Light 
blanks  are  re-melted,  while  the  heavy  ones  are  passed 
through  a  filing  machine  which  rubs  a  few  particles 
from  one  of  the  surfaces  of  the  blank  and  fines  it 
down  to  the  required  weight. 

The  blanks  are  then  passed  through  a  machine  which 
gives  them  the  raised  edge  which  may  be  seen  on  every 
coin.  They  are  next  annealed,  to  restore  them  to  their 
original  softness,  having  become  comparatively  hard  and 
brittle  by  the  hammering  they  have  just  been  subjected 
to.  Annealing  consists  in  placing  the  blanks  in  iron 
vessels,  making  them  red  hot,  and  thereafter  plunging 
them  into  a  bath  of  sulphuric  acid  and  water  which 
softens  them  as  well  as  cleans  the  surface  by  removing 
the  copper  oxide  which  forms  on  the  surface  during 
the  process  of  heating.  When  softened  and  blanched 
by  this  operation,  they  are  ready  for  the  coining  depart- 
ment where  the  final  process  in  the  manufacture, 
namely,  milling  and  giving  the  impression  on  the  two 
faces  of  the  coins,  is  performed.  Each  machine  strikes 
100    coins    a    minute,  and  the  noise    here  is  deafening. 


THE    MINT.  169 

After  they  are  coined,  the  rupees  are  put  up  by 
weight  in  bags  of  Rs.  2,000.  They  are  then  sent  to 
the  bullion  office  to  have  their  weight  recorded,  after 
which  they  are  delivered  to  the  ringing  department- 
Here,  every  rupee  is  carefully  examined  on  both  surfaces 
and  also  round  the  rim,  and  any  that  are  defective  are 
thrown  out.  The  good  coins  are  next  struck  against  a 
stone  ;  if  they  give  out  a  ringing  sound  they  are  passed, 
if  dumb  they  are  rejected.     They  are  now  ready  for  issue. 

The  coining  of  goldmohurs  is  performed  in  exactly 
the  same  way  as  rupees. 

The  copper  mint,  however,  has  some  slightly  different 
processes.  The  metal  is  received  from  Australia  in  slabs 
of  the  proper  degree  of  purity.  These  are  made  red  hot. 
and  in  this  condition  are  rolled  out  to  the  proper  thick- 
ness. Then  the  hot  strips  are  plunged  into  a  cold  bath, 
the  sound  made  resembling  the  roar  of  a  tiger.  The 
strips  are  next  dipped  into  a  hot  sulphuric  bath,  to 
remove  any  oxide,  and  from  a  dull  iron  colour  they  emerge 
bright  and  coppery  in  hue.  The  other  processes  are 
precisely  the  same  as  in  the  silver  mint,  except  that  the 
process  of  counting  is  performed  on  tables  having  a 
number  of  cavities.  Rs.  50  worth  of  pice,  or  3,200  pieces 
fill  up  400  holes  in  the  table.  When  all  the  cavities 
are  charged,  the  bottom  of  the  table  is  swung  down,  and 
the  pice  drop  into  a  bag  held  at  the  end  of  the  shoot. 
The  copper  '  scissel,  '  it  may  be  added,  not  paying  for 
re-working,  is  sold  to  outside  purchasers 

In  a  tour  round  the  Mint  the  visitor,  will  also  have 
seen  the  engravers'  room,  where  designs  are  cut  into  hard 
steel  dies  ;  the  vaults  where  all  coin  and  bullion  is  locked 
up  at  night  and  guarded  by  sentries  ;  the  workshops 
where  the  machinery  is  repaired  and  the  boxes  for  pack- 
ing up  the  copper  coins  are  made ;  and  the  counting 
room  where  the  copper  coins  are  finally  packed.  The 
counting  of  the  Mint,  it  may  be  mentioned,  faciUtated 
by  several  ingenious  processes,  and  tested  at  every  point, 
is  so  accurate  that  the  currency  office  accepts  the  Mint 
seals  on  each  box  as  a  guarantee  of  correctness.  It  may 
not  be  generally  known  that  the  Calcutta  Mint  is  the 
largest  in  the  world.     When  employed  to  its  full  capacity, 


170  GUIDE    TO    CALCUTTA. 

it  can  turn  out  800,000  pieces  of  coin  in  a  working  day 
of  seven  hours.  Besides  all  Indian  coins,  it  also  supplies 
copper  coins  to  the  Governments  of  Ceylon  and  the 
Straits  Settlements,  and  makes  medals  for  the  Indian 
Army  or  to  the  order  of  private  individuals." 

On  leaving  the  Mint,  we  proceed  still  further  along  the 
Strand  Road,  and  find  on  our  left  the  Mayo  Hospital, 
designed  by  Mr.  T.  A.  Osmond,  built  by  Messrs.  Mackintosh, 
Burn  &  Co.,  at  the  cost  of  Rs.  2,43,471.  The  foundation 
stone  was  laid  by  His  Excellency  the  Viceroy  on  February 
3rd,  1873  :  the  building  was  opened  on  September  8th, 
1874.  This  hospital,  accommodating  some  120  native 
patients,  is  the  modern  representative  of  a  hospital  in 
Chitpur  Road  founded  in  1793bythethen  Governor,  Sir  John 
Shore,  and  removed  in  1796  to  Dhurumtollah. 

Driving  on  we  come  to  the  Nimtollah  Burning  Ghat. 
Higher  up  the  river  the  tourist  will  see  funeral  pjTes  unpro- 
tected from  the  pubUc  eye,  and  he  will,  perhaps,  have  no 
desire  to  gratify  any  morbid  curiosity  at  this  present  spot. 
To  the  sacred  waters  of  the  Ganges  the  Hindus  have  to  bring 
their  dying,  and  by  its  banks  they  cremate  the  bodies  of  the 
dead.  Much  that  is  calculated  to  make  one's  blood  run  cold 
has  been  written  on  the  subject  of  the  exposure  of  the 
sick  on  the  river  banks.  A  good  deal,  could  of  course, 
be  urged  on  behalf  of  cremation,  but  in  Bengal,  in  past 
years,  however,  the  actual  cremation  was  scamped,  and 
the  bodies  of  the  dead  were  cast  wholesale  into  the 
river.  In  1854  proposals  were  made  to  prevent  the  prac- 
tice, but  in  deference  to  the  feelings  of  the  Hindu  popula- 
tion, they  were  allowed  to  drop.  The  subject  came  up 
for  consideration  once  more  in  the  days  when  Sir  Cecil 
Beadon  was  Lieutenant-Governor,  and  was  thoroughly 
discussed  by  a  Committee  of  Justices  who  recom- 
mended that  the  bodies  of  Hindu  paupers  should  be 
burned  at  public  expense- 


1 


CHAPTER  XT 

HOWRAH   AXD   SiBPUR. 

The  Railway  Station. — Calcutta,  as  the  visitor  will 
not  fail  to  note,  is  provided  with  quite  one  of  the  most 
dismal  and  contemptible  railway  stations  in  the  world. 
The  discomfort  to  the  European  is  a  small  evil  as 
compared  with  the  bustling  and  indignities  to  which 
native  travellers  are  exposed.  In  the  eye  of  the 
humble  pilgrim  the  uniformed  Eurasian  Ticket  Col- 
lector is  an  incarnation  of  the  British  Raj,  and  he  goes 
back  to  his  obscure  village  only  too  often  with  a  tale 
of  harsh  treatment  and  patience  ill  rewarded.  It  is  not 
the  fault  of  the  Railway  Company.  The  Traffic  Manager 
will  do  his  best  to  make  his  subordinates  understand  that 
they  are  the  servants  of  the  humblest  coolie  who  has  paid 
for  his  ticket  as  well  as  the  Government  official  in  his 
luxurious  special  carriage.  Philosophy  is  well  enough  :  but 
the  trains  have  to  start  at  fixed  hours,  and  the  humble 
cooHes,  herded  together  "like  a  flock  of  silly  sheep,"  can 
be  stupid  and  annoying  to  such  an  extent  that  both  the 
annoyance  and  the  stupidity  appear  to  be  a  fine  art  rather 
than  a  natural  gift.  [Since  the  above  was  in  print,  the 
building  of  a  new  station  has  been  commenced.] 

The  East  Indian  Railway  is  a  State  affair.  It  is  interest- 
ing, therefore,  to  note  that  when,  in  the  years  1840  and 
1841,  projects  for  extending  the  benefit  of  railway  com- 
munication to  India  were  first  discussed  by  private  capi- 
falists  in  England,  the  Government  of  India,  distrustful 
of  the  speculators,  were  inclined  to  adopt  a  hostile  atti- 
tude. In  1844  a  committee  was  appointed  at  Bombay 
with  the  idea  of  constructing  a  line  from  that  Presidency  to 
the  foot  of  the  Ghats,  yet,  although  an  ambitious  scheme 
for  a  "Great  Indian  Peninsula"  Company  was  launched. 


172  GUIDE    TO    CALCUTTA. 

yet  for  some  years  the  plans,  held  to  be  practicable,  were 
confined  to  Western  India. 

The  despatch  of  the  Honourable  Court  of  Directors  to  the 
Government  of  India,  dated  7th  May  1845,  was  the  first 
official  recognition  of  the  desirability  of  building  railways 
in  India.  Under  Lord  Hardinge's  rule  the  Council  agreed  to 
a  free  provision  of  land  for  an  experimental  line  to  a  pro- 
posed "East  Indian  Company."  In  July,  1846,  Lord 
Hardinge,  who  had  been  absent  during  the  deliberations  of 
the  Council  in  the  previous  year,  recorded  his  views  in  a 
statesmanlike  Minute.  The  East  Indian  Railway  Company 
was  thus  launched  on  its  way.  In  October  1858  the  hne 
to  the  Agai  river  was  opened ;  in  October  1859  to 
Rajmahal,  in  1861  to  Bhagulpvir,  in  February  1862  to 
Monghyr,  and  in  December  1862  to  Benares.  In  1866 
Calcutta,  the  capital  of  modern  India,  was  connected  by 
railway  with  the  old  Mogul  capital,  Delhi. 

To  Howrah  the  reader  must  go  if  he  wishes  to  travel  to 
Peshawar  by  the  Punjab  Mail,  if  he  wishes  to  go  to  Bom- 
bay either  by  the  Bengal  Nagpur  route  or  by  Allahabad, 
or  if  he  wishes  to  go  to  Madras.  For  Darjeeling  and  Assam 
he  must  start  from  Sealdah. 

Churches. 

St.  Thomas. — Built  in  1831  and  consecrated  in  1833. 
Before  this  Church  was  built,  services  were  held  in  a  room 
fitted  up  in  what  was  once  the  original  home  of  the  Mili- 
tary Orphan  Society  and  known  as  the  ' '  Episcopalian 
•Chapel"  .  The  professors  of  Bishop's  College  served  the 
altar.  The  Church  is  not  mthout  a  certain  claim  to 
prettiness,  and,  if  only  the  roof  of  the  nave  could  be  raised 
a  few  feet,  would  be  almost  entirely  satisfactory  to  the  eye. 
A  handsome  font  has  been  presented  to  commemorate 
John  Stalkart  of  Ghoosery,  whose  hospitality  is  so  well 
remembered  by  his  friends. 

The  Roman  Cathohc  Church,  conspicuous  by  its  two 
towers,  is  dedicated  to  Our  Lady  of  a  Prosperous  Voyage. 

Old  Bishop's  College. 
Driving  southwards,  at  Sibpur  on  the  river  bank,  we 
find  the  Government  Engineering  College — commenced  to 


bishop's  college.  173- 

be  central  as  a  Theological  College  for  all  India  by- 
Bishop  Middleton.  In  1819  the  Bishop  succeeded  in 
inducing  the  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel  to 
extend  its  energies  to  India,  and,  stimulated  by  this  success, 
he  undertook  the  task  of  building  a  college  which  here  at 
the  gateway  of  British  India  should  claim  the  land  for 
Christ.  By  royal  letters  of  command,  collections  for  the 
College  were  made  in  every  parish  in  England,  and  the 
great  reUgious  societies,  the  Society  for  the  Propagatioa 
of  Christian  Knowledge  the  Church  Missionary  Society^ 
the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society  came  forward 
with  liberal  donations  to  assist  the  venerable  Society 
for  tjie  Propagation  of  the  Gospel  and  the  Bishop.  The 
site — then  covered  by  an  experimental  forest  of 
teak-trees — was  given  by  the  Government  of  India.  To 
the  College,  Cambridge  sent  as  first  principal  one  of 
the  most  accomplished  of  her  sons — Dr.  Mill,  a  man  who 
has  been  regarded  by  authorities  so  competent  to  form  an 
opinion  as  were  Dean  Church  and  Canon  Bright  as  "  the 
greatest  of  Cambridge  Divines."  The  institution  was  plan- 
ned on  far  too  large  a  scale  :  it  too  ambitiously  aimed  at 
reproducing  by  the  Ganges  the  College  life  of  its  founder's 
own  university.  Heber,  on  his  arrival,  failed  to  appreci- 
ate his  predecessor's  scheme,  and  was  too  much  hurried 
about  in  the  visitation  of  his  vast  diocese  to  be  able  to  grap- 
ple with  a  bewildering  mass  of  details  which  would 
perhaps  have  only  been  settled  by  the  masterly  hand  of 
Middleton.  Bishop  James,  who  consecrated  the  Chapel,  felt 
keenly  that  a  fatal  mistake  had  been  made  in  commencing 
on  so  grand  a  scale.  Even  after  the  large  sums  of  money 
expended  in  draining  the  soil,  the  Government  has  not 
succeeded  in  rendering  the  place  healthy  :  the  Church  could 
never  have  hoped  to  find  the  funds  for  such  work. 
Accordingly  in  Bishop  Johnson's  episcopate,  the  Sibpur 
buildings  were  vacated,  and  sold  to  the  Government,  a  site 
for  the  College  having  been  found  in  the  Lower  Circular 
Road-  The  Chapel  is  still  maintained  as  a  Church,  and 
services  are  held  there. 

The  Botanic  Garden. 
Passing  on  to  the  South,  we  enter  the  beautiful  Botanic 


174  GUIDE    TO   CALCUTTA. 

Garden — the  pride  of  Calcutta.  With  a  river  face  of 
nearly  one  mile  in  extent  the  garden  covers  some  272  acres. 
It  was  commenced  in  1786,  under  the  auspices  of  the  Com- 
pany, which  General  Kyd,  of  the  Royal  Engineers,  as  the  first 
Superintendent.  Among  the  names  of  Kyd's  successors 
stands  that  of  the  great  Roxburgh,  that  of  Nathaniel  Wal- 
lich  (Nathan  Wolf? — a  Jew  who  came  to  Bengalas  a  surgeon 
in  the  service  of  the  Danish  East  India  Company  in  1806), 
and  Falconer.  Hooker  in  1848  regretted  that  the  garden 
had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  a  learned  botanist,  but  a  rather 
poor  landscape  gardener.  There  is  certainly  no  ground 
for  any  such  complaint  at  the  present  day.  The  avenues 
of  stately  palms,  the  sacred  deodars  of  Bengal,  the  palm 
and  orchid  houses,  the  picturesque  lakes  with  their  water- 
fowl, will  not  fail  to  dehght  the  eye  of  even  the  most 
ignorant  in  the  science  of  botany  and  the  arts  of  the  horti- 
culturist. The  great  banyan  tree,  covering  900  feet  iji 
circumference,  is  of  fame  in  many  lands. 

Eighty  years  ago  the  poet  Bishop,  Heber,  came  in  Lady 
Amherst's  company  to  see  the  garden.  "It  is,"  wrote 
the  Bishop  in  his  journal,  ' '  not  only  a  curious,  but  pictures- 
que and  most  beautiful  scene,  and  more  perfectly  answers 
Milton's  idea  of  Paradise,  except  that  it  is  on  a  dead  fiat 
instead  of  a  hill,  than  anything  I  ever  saw.  "  The  trav- 
eller who  has  visited  the  beautiful  Botanical  Garden  at 
Penang  will  certainly  miss  here  the  fine  effect  which  the 
hill  and  its  cascade  give  to  the  Penang  garden,  but  in  many 
ways  he  will  also  find  that  the  beauty  and  interest  of  the 
Calcutta  garden  are  in  their  own  way  unsurpassed. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

The  Indian  Museum. 

The  AsoTca  Gallery. 

Immediately  behind  the  Government  Art  School  is  the 
Asoka  Gallery,  an  institution  which  owes  its  existence  to 
Sir  C.  EUiot,  and  affords  to  residents  in  Calcutta  a  mag- 
nificent opportunity  for  the  study  of  Buddhist  India. 

In  the  years  327 — 324  B.  C,  the  great  Macedonian  conqueror,  Alexander, 
made  himself  master  of  the  Punjab.  In  the  June  of  323  he  died  at  Babylon. 
Before  two  years  had  passed  the  Greek  power  to  the  East  of  the  Indus  was  vir- 
tually extinct.  No  sooner  had  tlienews  of  Alexander's  death  reached  beyond 
the  Hindu  Koosh  than  a  general  native  revolt  took  place.  Chandragupta,  a 
native  adventurer  who  assumed  the  leadership  in  theiising,  was  a  scion  on 
his  father's  side  of  the  Royal  House  of  Magadha — (modern  Behar),  but  de- 
riving his  caste  from  a  mother  of  humble  birth,  the  stigma  of  social  inferi- 
ority was  attached  to  him.  Having  recruited  an  army  from  the  fierce  preda- 
tory elans  on  the  North-VVest  frontier,  he  wrested  the  Punjab  from  the  Greek 
garrisons,  then  dethroned  the  Hindu  King  of  Magadha,  slaving  him  and 
every  member  of  his  family.  With  an  army  of  30,000  Cavalry,  9,000  elephants, 
and600,000  Infantry,  Chandragupta  established  his  dominion  over  India  from 
the  Bay  of  Bengal  to  the  Arabian  Sea.  He  died  in  297  B.  C.,  and  was  succeeded 
by  his  son  Bindusara,  who  set  up  his  throne  at  Pataliputra  (Patna).  After 
a  strong  reign  of  twenty-five  years,  Bindusara  passed  away,  and  his  son  Asoka 
reigned  in  his  stead.  The  dynasty  to  which  these  first  Emperors  of  India 
belonged  is  known  as  the  Mauryan  dynasty — possibly  because  the  name  of 
Chandragupta' s  humble  mother  is  said  to  have  been  Maura.  In  the  ninth 
year  of  his  reign  Asoka  conquered  and  annexed  the  kingdom  of  Kalinga 
which  stretched  along  the  Bay  of  Bengal.  The  southern  boundary  of  his 
empire  may  be  represented  by  a  line  drawn  from  Pondicherry  on  the  East 
Coast  to  Cannanore  on  the  West.  From  this  line  northwards  all  India  pro- 
per, the  valley  of  Nepal,  Kashmir,  the  Swat  Valley,  the  Yusufzai 
country,  Afghanistan,  to  the  Hindu  Koosh,  Sind  and  Baluchistan  formed 
an  empire    exceeding  in  area  British  India,  if  Burma  be  excluded^ 

Modern  criticism  rejects  the  account  given  by  Buddhist 
monastic  writers  of  how  Asoka  waded  to  the  throne 
through  a  sea  of  blood,  securing  his  position  by  the  mas- 
sacre of  ninety-nine  brothers,  one  brother  only,  the  young- 
est, being  saved  ahve.  The  first  really  historical  event  in 
his  reign  is  the  conquest  of  Kalinga  in  the  ninth  year.    The 


176  GUIDE    TO    CALCUTTA. 

Xlllth  of  the  Rock  Edicts  records  Asoka's  sense  of  remorse 
for  "the  slaughter,  death,  and  taking  away  captive"  of  the 
hitherto  unconquered  folk,  and  his  beUef  that  '  'the  chief 
conquest  is  the  conquest  by  the  law  of  Piety."  Eschew- 
ing mihtary  fame,  Asoka  joined  the  Buddhist  community 
as  a  lay  disciple.  In  the  Minor  Rock  Edict  I,  the  King 
writes  :  "For  more  than  two  years  and-a-half  I  was  a  lay 
disciple  without  exerting  myself  strenuously."  Towards 
the  close  of  the  eleventh  year  of  his  reign,  the  Emperor 
took  monastic  vows  and  joined  the  Order.  The  extent  of 
the  religious  propaganda  undertaken  at  Asoka's  direct  ini- 
tiative has  been  divergently  estimated  by  different  scholars, 
but  it  is  clear  that  Asoka's  conversion  was  the  first  great 
step  taken  in  the  direction  of  turning  Buddhism,  a  mere 
Hindu  sect  as  Gautama  had  left  it,  into  a  world-religion. 
The  death  of  the  Monk-Emperor  is  dated  232  B.  C. 

The  Gallery  contains  casts  of  the  great  Rock  Edicts 
and  Pillar  Inscriptions  set  up  by  Asoka  in  different  parts 
of  his  wide  dominions.  Close  to  the  castes  are  hung 
photographs  which  show  the  original  inscriptions  in  situ. 
It  will  be  of  use  to  the  reader  to  give  here  a  classification 
of  the  Asoka  Edicts  according  (approximately)  to  their 
chronological  order. 

I.     The  fourteen  Rock  Edicts — 

1.  The  inscription  at  Shahbazgarhi  in  tho  Yusufzai^country,  40  miles 
North-East  of  Peshawar,  24  ft.  long  by  10  ft.  high.'  The  Toleration 
Edict  No.  XII  was  found  on  a  separate  rock  sonie  fifty  yardc  away. 
The  writing  is  from  left  to  right  and  is  known  as  Kharoshthi. 

2.  At  Maasera  in  the  Hazara  Di^^trict  of  the  Punjab.  Inscribed  on 
two  rocks.  The  Toleration  Edict  occupies  one  whole  side.  The  XlVth 
is  omitted.     The  text  less  complete  than  No.  I  but  in  same  character. 

3.  At  Kalsi  on  the  road  from  Saharanpur  to  Chakrata.  Text  nearly  com- 
plete, agreeing  with  No.  2.  Character  as  in  all  Asoka  inscnptions  save 
1  and  2,  an  ancient  form  of  tiie  Brahman,  the  parent  of  modern 
Devanaaari. 

4.  Fragment  at  Sopara  in  the  Thana  District,  North  of  Bombay.  A  few 
words  only  of  the  Vlllth  Edict. 

5.  On  Girnar  Hill,  East  of  Junagarh  in  the  peninsular  of  Kathiawar. 
The  earliest  discovered. 

n.     The  Kalinga  Edicts— 

1.  On  the  Aswastama  Rock  near  Dhauli,  four  miles  from  Bhuvaaeswa 
in  the  Cuttack  District. 

2.  At  Jangrada  in  the  Ganjam  District,  Madras.  These  last  two  are 
almost  duplicates :  they  both  omit  Edicts  XT,  XII  and  XIII,  and 
alone  exhibit  the  Borderer's  and  Provincial's  Edicts. 


1 


THE  MUSEUM.  177 

]  1 1.     The  Jlinor  Kock  Edicts- 
Found  at  Bairat  in  P.ajputana,  Rflpnath  in  the  Central  Pro%'incea,  Sahaa- 
ram  in  Bengal,  and  Siddapura  in  Mysore.     They  exhibit  a  single  short 
edict,  to  which  in  the  Siddapura  groups  a  summary  of  the  Buddhist 
moral  law  is  added. 

IV.  The  Bhabra  Edict — addressed  to  theBuddhist  clergy.   Tliis  is  inscribed 

on  a  reddish-grey  stone,  discovered  in  1837  on  a  hill  top  close  to 
Bairat  in  Rajputana.  It  is  now  preserved  at  the  rooms  of  the  Asiatic 
Society  in  Park  Street. 

V.  Three  Cave  Inscrij>tions  at  Barabar  in  the  Gaya  district.     "Thoyare," 

\vTite8  Mr.  V.  Smith,  ""nicroly  brief  dedications  of  costly  cave  dwel- 
lings for  the  use  of  a  monastic  sect  known  as  Agivika,  the 
members  of  which  went  about  naked,  and  were  noted  for  ascetic 
practices  of  the  piost  rioorous  kind.  These  records  are  chiefly  of 
interest  as  a  decisive  proof  that  Asoka  was  sincere  in  his  solemn 
declaration  that  he  honoured  all  sects  ;  for  the  Agivikas  had  little 
or  nothing  in  common  with  tlie  Buddhists,  and  were  intimately  con- 
nected with  the  Jains."     Enrbj  llistnry  of  huiin.  p.  14S. 

VI.  The  Tarai  Pillar  Inscriptions  at  Nigliva  and  Rummindei.     To   lay   our- 

selves once  more  under  obligations  to  Mr.  Smith,  we  quote  :  '  'The 
two  Tarai  Pillar  inscriptions,  although  extremely  brief,  are  of  interest 
for  many  reasons,  one  of  which  is  tliat  they  prove  beyond  question 
the  trutii  of  the  literary  tradition  that  Asoka  performed  a  solemn 
pilgrimage  to  the  sacred  spots  of  the  Buddhist  Hoh'  Land.  The 
Rummindei,  or  Padaria,  inscription,  which  is  in  absolutely  perfect 
preservation,  has  the  great  merit  of  determining  beyond  the 
possibility  of  doubt,  the  exact  position  of  the  famous  Lumbrie 
Garden  where,  according  to  the  legend,  Gautama  Buddha  6r8t 
saw  the  light.  This  determination  either  solves  or  supplies  the 
key  to  a  multitude  of  problems.  The  companion  record  at  Nighva, 
which  is  less  porfcctlv  preserved,  gives  the  unexpected  and  interest- 
ing information  that  Asoka's  devotion  was  not  confined  to 
Gautama  Buddha,  but  included  in  its  catholic  nmbraee  his  pre- 
decessors, the  "former  Buddhas." 

\TI.  The  Seven  Pillar  Edicts — issued  in  complete  form  in  242  B.C..  toward* 
the  end  of  Asok?.'s  roign,  form  a  supplement,  to  the  XlVth  Fork 
Edict. 

1.  Delhi-Topri.     Erected  on   the  roof    of  the    Kotilla   in   the   ruined 

city  of  Ferozabad,  built  by  Feroz  Shah  Thughlok,  in  1354  A.  D. 
WiUiam  Finch,  who  visited  Delhi  in  1611,  describes  the  pillar  as 
passing  through  three  several  stories  of  the  Kotilla,  and  "  rising  24 
feet  above  them  all,  having  on  the  top  a  globe  surmounted  by  a 
crescent."  The  pillar  is  a  monolith  of  pink  sandstone,  and  was 
brought  from  Topra  at  the  foot  of  the  Siwalik  Hills.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  Asoka  inscriptions  it  bears  Nagri  inscriptions  con- 
taining the  date  Sanwat  1681,  i.e.,  1624  A.  D.  Contains  Pillar 
Edicts  I — VII  nearly  complete. 

2.  Delhi-Meerut.     Brought  from  Meerut  by  Feroz  Shah  in   1366  and 

set  up  in  the  Kushak  Shikar  Palace  close  to  where  we  now 
find  Hindu  Kao's  House  so  famous  in  the  siege  of  Delhi  of  1861. 
Early  in  the  18th  Century  it  was  broken  into  five  pieces 
when  a  powder  mine  exploded.  In  1867  it  was  set  up  in  its 
present  position.     Contains  Pillar  Edicts  I— VI. 

F,  GC  12 


178  GUIDE  TO   CALCUTTA. 

3.  Allahabad.     Erected  close  to  the  Fort  in  1835.     Probably  brought 

from  Kausambi.  Contains  Edicts  I — VI,  the  Queen's  Edict, 
the  Kausambi  Edict,  a  eulogj'  of  King  Sanuchagupta  (circa  380 
A.  D.,  a  Persian  inscription  of  Jehangir,  1615  A.  L).,  and  pilgrims 
inscription.     The  abacus  is  ancient,  but  the  capital  is  Moslem. 

4.  Lauriya  Araroz.    Near  Gobindgar  on  the  road  to  Bettia  in  the  C'hani- 

paran  District  of  Northern  Behar.  Pillar  Edicts  I — VI  nearly 
complete. 

5.  Lauriya  Nandangarh  in  the  same  district.     Famous  for  its  lion 

Capital.  Pillar  Edicts  I — VI.  (See  frontispiece  to  Smith's 
Asoka,  the  Buddhist  Emperor  of  India.) 

6.  Rampurwa.     (In  the  same  district.) 

7.  Sanchi.     At  the  south  entrance  to  the  stupa  of  Sauchi.     Contains 

a  variant  of  the  Kasaumbi  Edict. 

In  these  monumental  records  tlie  name  Asoka  is  not  to 
be  found.  The  author  purports  to  be  Piyadesi,  or  in  full, 
Devanampiya  Piyadesi  Raja — "  King  Piyadesi  the  dehght 
of  the  gods."  The  history  of  the  identification  of 
Piyadesi  with  Asoka  has  well  been  described  by  the  present 
Bishop  of  Calcutta  as  "one  of  the  romantic  chapters  in  the 
history  of  knowledge.  "  While  Charles  Turnour  in 
Ceylon  was  studying  the  Pali  Chronicles — the  Mahawansa. 
or  "Great  History,"  and  the  Dipawansa,  or  "  History  of  the 
island, "  and  was  becoming  acquainted  with  the  Asoka 
known  to  the  Ceylonese  chroniclers,  James  Prinsep  in 
Bengal  was  deciphering  the  unknown  alphabets  of  the 
pillar  edicts,  and  publishing  the  results  of  liis  studies  in 
the  Proceedings  of  the  Asiatic  Society  of   Bengal. 

*' Mr.  Turnour  no  sooner  saw  the  proceedings  of  'the  Asiatic  Society  of 
Bengal,  than  he  sprang  with  a  confidence  which  further  inquiry  justified 
to  the  conclusion  that  these  were  inscriptions  of  the  Asoka  of  the 
Mahawansa.  The  evidently  vast  extent  of  his  rule,  the  name  of 
Magadha  itself,  the  humane  tone  of  his  proclamations,  were  enough 
to  invite  the  identification :  the  statement  that  he  had  not  always 
held  the  same  \-iews,  but  had  formerly  been  regardless  of  the  life  of 
animals,  that  his  conversion  occurred  some  years  after  his  enthronement, 
and  other  such  coincidences,  made  it  almost  a  certainty.  But  when  it 
was  further  disclosed  that  in  one  of  the  edicts  were  mentioned  certain 
Greek  Kings,  Ptolemj',  Magas,  and  others,  whose  date  approximately  coin- 
cided \<nth  that  wliich  the  Pali  Mahawansa  ascribed  to  Asoka;  and  further 
still,  that  Asoka  was  said,  in  the  chronicle,  to  have  been  the  son  of  Chandra- 
gupta,  while  Greek  history  placed  in  the  same  place  and  date  a  Sandrakottus 
(an  almost  exact  transliteration  of  thcsame  name),  the  fact  that  Asoka  and 
the  other  Piyadesi  could  not  stand  in  the  way  of  the  identification.  For  what 
indeed  does  Asoka  mean  but  sorrowless'  a  Kyadcsi  but  'beholder  of  delight?' 
They  were  both  rathei-  epithets  than  names,  and  of  kuidred  meaning.  But 
whatever  doubt  might  remain  in  the  most  sceptical  mind  was  Boon  to  be  re- 
moved. It  was  soon  observed  that,  although  the  Mahawansa  knew  their 
pjonarch  only  ap  Asoka,  its  sister  chronicle — its  elder  sister,  if  not  itsi  parent 


THE   MUSEUM.  179 

chronicle — the  Dipawansa  (history  of  Ceylon)  knew  him  as  Piyadesi.  When 
the  lines  (iJip.  VI,  22-24  Oldenburg's  Translation),  '  Asoka  was  anointed 
King  in  Mahinda's  fourteenth  year.'  '  Asokadhamma,  after  his  coronation, 
obtained  the  miraculous  faculties;  exceedingly  splendid  and  rich  in  meri- 
torious works  (he  was)  universal  monarch  of  Jambudipa."  'They  crowned 
Piyadesi,'  etc.,  were  quoted,  the  question  was  at  an  end."  Copleston : 
Buddhism  Past  and  Present  in  Magadha  and   Ceijlon,     pp.  261 — 2. 

The  castes  are  so  well  arranged  and  so  clearly  indicated 
in  this  gallery  that  there  is  no  need  to  catalogue  them  here- 
But  there  is  every  need  to  emphasise  their  interest. 
These  inscriptions  speak  to  us  direct  from  the  heart  of  one 
who  must  rank  even  higher  in  the  history  of  Buddhism 
as  Constantine  does  in  that  of  the  Christian  Church. 
Of  Asoka,  one  who  is  not  only  a  Pali  scholar,  but  in 
turn  Bishop  of  the  island  so  deeply  influenced  by 
Asoka' s  rule,  and  the  Bishop  of  our  own  Calcutta  has 
said  :  "  His  was  an  enthusiasm  such  as  was  never  reached 
by  any  of  the  Antonies.  In  him  Buddhism  inspired 
perhaps  the  greatest  effort,  in  scale  at  any  rate,  on 
behalf  of  good,  that  was  ever  made  by  any  man, 
outside  of  Christianity.  The  rules  and  the  books  are 
insignificant  in  his  presence.  Two  hundred  years  at  least 
had  elapsed  since  the  death  of  the  founder  to  whom  the 
organisation  of  the  moral  effort  was  attributed.  A  vast 
change  had  passed  since  his  day  over  the  face — the  politi- 
cal aspect  at  least — of  India.  The  touch  of  a  strange  new 
civiUsation — the  civilisation  of  their  distant  Aryan  breth- 
ren of  Europe — had  been  felt  by  the  Aryans  of  the  Ganges. 
Aided  by  the  Greek  invader,  a  single  monarchy  had 
asserted  itself,  and  claimed  all  India  for  its  own,  and  had 
so  far  succeeded  as  to  give  vividness  to  a  new  con- 
ception— that  of  a  imiversal  monarch.  A  great  man  had 
arisen,  representative  of  that  dynasty,  who  had  assimi- 
lated much  of  the  new  civiUsation  and,  felt  its  stimu- 
lating influence.  In  his  person  the  ideal  of  the  world - 
monarch  was  embodied.  He  was  a  man  of  vast  ambitions 
and  vast  designs.  And  on  this  man,  Piyadesi  Asoka,  at 
first  a  despot  as  careless  as  others  of  the  means  he  used, 
the  teaching  of  the  ascetic  community  laid  its  spell.  He 
became  much  more  than  its  patron  :  he  was  its  apostle. 
As  his  reign  went  on  he  was  more  and  more  imbued  with 
^ite  spirit ;  the  desire  to  serve  it  and    extend    it    moulded 


180  GUIDE   TO   CALCUTTA. 

his  magnificent  enterprise.  He  was  not  merely  the  Con- 
stantine  of  Buddhism,  he  was  an  Alexander  with  Buddhism 
for  his  Mellas :  an  unselfish  Napoleon,  with  'mettam'' 
in  the  place  of  ^gloire\  The  world  was  his  that  he  might 
protect  all  lives  in  it ;  might  teach  loving-kindness  through- 
out it ;  might  estabUsh  in  every  part  of  it  the  community 
of  the  disciples  of  Buddha.  Compared  with  the  solid  reality 
of  the  Asoka  Edicts  the  records  which  are  preserved 
of  Buddha  himself  are  but  a   shadowy    tradition." 

The  Indian  Museum. 

Leaving  the  Asoka  Gallery,  we  must  now  turn  our 
attention  to  the  Museum  itself.  In  1866  an  Act  was 
passed  by  the  Governor- General  in  Council  to  provide 
a  Public  Museum  '  'to  be  devoted  in  part  to  collections 
illustrative  of  Indian  Archaeology  and  of  the  several 
branches  of  Natural  History,  and  in  part  to  the  preser- 
vation and  exhibition  of  other  objects  of  interest, 
whether  historical  or  physical,  in  part  to  the  records  and 
ofiices  of  the  Geological  Survey  of  India,  and  in  part 
to  the  fit  accommodation  of  the  Asiatic  Society  of  Bengal, 
and  to  the  reception  of  their  Library,  Manuscripts, 
Maps,  Coins,  Busts,  Pictures,  Engravings,  and  other 
property.  "  It  was  subsequently  found  impossible  to 
find  room  for  the  accommodation  of  the  entire  collection 
of  the  Asiatic  Society. 

The  vast  building,  facing  the  maidan  with  a  frontage  of 
300  feet,  was  designed  by  Mr.  Walter  B.  Granville,  and 
at  a  cost  of  £140,000,  was  completed  in  1875.  It  is 
open  to  the  public  daily  with  the  exception  of  Thursdays 
(open  to  students)  and  Fridays  from  10  a.m.  to  5  p.m. 

Ascending  a  flight  of  stairs,  we  turn  first  to  our  right 
and  visit  the  series  of  archaeological  galleries.  The  official 
catalogues  are  now,  unfortunately,  nearly  twenty-two  years 
old,  and  the  collections  have  been  considerably  added  to 
and  to  a  great  extent  re-arranged.  It  cannot  be  too  much 
regretted  that  so  little  has  been  done  to  interest  the  popu- 
lar world  in  these  magnificent  remains  of  Buddhist  India. 
There  is  every  reason  for  supposing  that  even  the  obso- 
lexe  catalogues  still  on  sale  would  not  have  been  procurable 
had  it  not  been  for  the  fact  that,  in  1879,  Dr.  Edwards,  the 


THE   MUSEUM.  181 

Zoologist  of  the  Museum,  being  turned  out  of  his  own 
department  by  the  builders,  devoted  his  leisure  to  the 
archaeological  galleries.  The  absence  of  popular  guide 
books  is  to  some  extent  atoned  for  by  labelling. 

The  Barahut  Stupa  is  perhaps  the  most  noteworthy 
object  of  interest  in  Calcutta,  and  it  is  here  that  the  need 
of  popular  explanation  is  naturally  most  to  be  desired.  The 
present  writer  can  only  offer  his  services  to  the  reader 
as  a  very  amateur  cicerone. 

The  gateway  and  railing  of  the  Barahut  Stupa  are  the 
principal  contents  of  this  gallery  ;  and  it  would  be  no  ex- 
aggeration to  say  that  they  cannot  be  surpassed  in  interest. 
We  must  first  define  our  terms. 

Stupa.     From   a  Sanskrit  root  meaning  "to  heap",  or  ''erect" — Engl. 
"Tope".     Applicable  "to  any  pile  or  mound,  as  to  a  funeral  pile, 
hence  it  comes  to  be  applied  to  a  tumulus  erected  over  any  of  the  sacred 
relics  of  Buddha,  or  on  spots  consecrated  as  scenes  of  his  acts. " ' 
Tnran.     A  high  triumphal  gateway. 
Thabo.     A  pillar.     (Pali  form  of  stamhha.) 

Siichi.     The  cross-bars  which  like  needles  thread  the  pillars  together. 
Jatakas.     Birth  stories. 

Nagds.  Snakes — i.e.,  thedemi-gods  who  in  the  ancient  animistic  religion 
of    India    resided    under   the    rocks  which    uphold  Maha   Meru.  the 
gigantic  mountain  more  than  a   million    miles    high    frono    its   basis 
half-way  down  at  the  ocean  bed.     "  Cobras  in  their  ordinary  shape, 
they  lived  like  mermen  and  merm.iids,  beneath  the  waters  in  great 
luxury   and    wealth,    more   especially   of   gems,    and  sometimes — 
the  name  is  used  of  the  Dryads — the  tree-spirits,  equally  wealthy 
and   powerful.     They   could   at   will,   and   often    did,   adopt   the 
human  form  ;  and  though   terrible   if   angered,    were   kindly   and 
rcild   by   nature.     Not   mentioned    either   in    the   Veda   or  in  the 
pre-Buddhistic    Upanishads,    the    myth  seems    to    be    a    strange 
jumble  of  beliefs,  not  altogether  pleasant,  about  a  strangely  gifted 
race  of  actual  men  ;  combined  with  notions  derived  from  previous- 
ly existing  theories  of  tree  worship,  and  serpent  worship,  and  river 
worship.     But   the   history   of    the  idea   has   still    to  be  written. 
These  Nagas  are  represented  on  the  ancient  bas-reliefs   as   men   or 
women   either   with   cobras'   hoods  rising  from  behind  their  heads 
or   with   serpentine   forms   from    the   waist    downwards."      Rhys 
David  :  Buddhist  India,  pp.  223—24.* 
Barahut  is  about  6  miles  to  the  south  of  Sutna  station  on  the  line  between 
Allahabad  and  Jubbulpore.   The  stupa  who  discovered  by  General  Cunning- 
ham in  187.3,  and  it  is  fully  described  in  his  book  on  the  subject,  a  copy  of 
which  is  kept  for  consultation  in  the  gallery.  The   stupa  itself  would  be  a 
dome-shaped  structure,  built  of  bricks  and  covered  over  with  fine  chunam 
plaster  which  (observe  the  pillars  in  the  ball  room  of  Government  House) 
would  give  a  very  fine  eflFect.  Beneath  the  dome  there  would  be  a  cylindrical 


*  For  the  relation  of  primitive  Buddhism  to  the  cults  of  the  sun  and  serpents 
see  Major  C.  F.  Oldham's  The  Sun  and  the  derpent.    Chapter  IX,  r        > 


182  GUIDE    TO    CALCUTTA. 

base,  in  circumference  21 2f  feet,  and  pierced  with  triangular  recesses  each 
decorated  with  five  lamps — resembling  a  "  diamond -shaped  network  of 
lights."  The  dome  itself  would  be  crowned  by  a  capital,  bearing  first  a 
shrine  with  pillars  supporting  a  roof  composed  of  four  flat  slabs,  each  ascend- 
ing one  larger  and  outflanking  the  other,  and  above  these  would  be  a  sort 
of  double  umbrella.  A  representation  of  such  a  stupa  will  be  found  carved 
on  the  western  face  of  the  south  corner  pillai'.  Fergusson  has  suggested 
that  the  dome  shape  was  suggested  to  the  stupa-builders  by  the  tents  of 
the  Tartars  or  Kirghiz  invaders. 

W  e  have  before  us,  partially  restored,  the  gateway  which 
once  stood  on  the  East  side  of  the  stupa  at  Barahut,  and  a 
portion  of  the  stone  railings  on  either  side.  Standing  with 
our  backs  to  the  Museum  windows  looking  down  on  Chow- 
ringhi,  we  are  inside  the  enclosure  of  the  stupa.  The  rail- 
ing itself  stood  some  10  feet  4  inch  from  the  stupa,  so,  in 
imagination,  we  are  standing  on  the  circular  platform  that 
skirted  the  central  building.  The  gate  before  us  is  but  one 
of  the  four  entrances,  and  we  observe  that  before  the  gate 
(as  was  also  the  case  with  the  other  gates),  there  is  a  screen 
which  cuts  off  the  view  of  the  world  outside.  The  four 
gateways,  East,  North,  West,  and  South  would  divide  the 
stone  raihngs  into  four  quadrants.  Two  quadrants  have 
been  here  re-erected  to  give  an  idea  of  the  nature  of  the 
structure  ;  the  disjecta  membra  are  scattered  about  the 
gallery  as  the  necessity  of  space  dictated. 

In  his  book.  General  Cunningham  expressed  the  behef 
that  these  remains  date  from  250  to  200  B.  C,  but  a  more 
accurate  reading  of  the  inscription  on  the  South  side  of  the 
gateway,  led  him  subsequently  to  bring  the  date  down  to  - 
150  B.  C.  The  physiognomy  of  the  folk  here  sculptured 
will  remind  one  of  some  illustrations  from  bas-reUef  in 
Rudyard  Kipling's  Kim. 

'  'Apart  altogether  from  the  inimediate  light  which  these  sculptures  throwon 
many  of  the  birth  stories  of  Buddhism,  and  on  the  period  in  the  history  of 
that  remarkable  religion  to  which  the  stupa  owed  its  origin,  a  deep  interest 
attaches  to  them  from  the  insight  they  give  into  the  habits  and  domestic  and 
religious  life  of  the  people  who  carved  them  nearly  two  centuries  before  the 
Christian  Era.  The  railing  and  the  coping  are  profusely  covered  with  repre- 
sentations of  the  people  wlio  inhabited  that  part  of  India  two  thousand  years 
ago,  and  who  appear  to  have  been  a  comparatively  small  race,  with  rather 
short,  round,  and  flat  faces  ,  differing  in  these  respects  from  the  taller,  sharper 
and  larger-featured  people  who  now  inhabit  the  area  in  which  the  stupa  i3 
situated.  In  their  short  compact  forms  and  physiognomy,  they  recall  the 
leading  physical  characters  of  some  of  the  original  races  of  Cential  India  more 
than  thpse  pf  an  Aryan  people. ' '     Edwards :  Catalogue  and  Handbook^  p.  i: 


THE    MUSEUM.  183 

The  gateway  is  formed  by  two  pillars,  monoliths  with 
bell -shaped  capitals,  above  vv^hich  rises  a  stone  fencing  of 
three  cross-bars.  The  capitals,  we  are  told,  "are  essentially 
characteristic  of  the  Asokan  period  of  Indian  architecture," 
and  "have  a  distinct  resemblance  to  the  ancient  Persian 
capital."  Mythology  runs  wild  in  the  carving  which,  after 
more  than  2000  years  exposure  to  the  air,  still  stands  out  in 
splendid  clear-cut  reHef.  The  language  of  the  inscription  is 
Pah,  and  the  characters  are  those  that  were  used  in 
Asoka's  time.  The  available  space  of  the  present  gallery 
only  admitted  of  the  restoration  of  one  of  the  gateways,  it 
was  necessary  to  reconstruct  the  screen  before  the  gateway 
from  pillars  which  originally  occupied  a  different  position 
in  relation  to  the  stupa.  The  first  or  corner  pillar  has 
three  figures  of  men  who  were  guardians  not  of  this  gate  but 
the  South  and  they  were  placed  here  to  show  the  character 
of  a  gateway  in  general.     The  three  guardians  are  : 

Wirudha.     In  attitude  of  devotion — hands  in  front  of  chest  and  palms 

opposed.     Representation  of  a  stupa  above. 
Chaka.     Kin"  of    the   Xagas.     Notice   the  five   cobra  heads.    Originally 

looked  North  now  looks  East. 
Gangiln  ynkf>l-n.     One  foot  on  tree  :   other  on  rock. 

Following  the  inside  of  the  screen.  The  single  cross-bar 
bears  a  medalhon  relief  of  a  man  holding  a  flower-spike. 
The  rim  is  composed  of  lotus  petals  :  the  radiating  parallel 
ridges  representing  the  stamens  of  the  flower.  The  second 
pillar  on  the  inner  face  has  a  medalhon  representation  of 
"the  Yava-Majhakiya  birth"  presented,  according  to  the 
inscription  above,  by  lay-brother  Samaka. 

The  story  is  that  Upasoka,  the  lady  standing  on  the  King's  left  hand  in 
the  medallion,  with  the  aid  of  her  attendants,  managed  to  get  three  suitors 
one  after  the  other  locked  up  into  baskets.  A  fourth  suitor,  the  King's 
banker,  came  the  same  night  to  the  Queen's  chamber,  but  daylight  had 
dawned  before  the  banker  could  be  dealt  with  as  his  companions  had  been. 
The  next  day  the  lady  accused  the  banker  of  having  unlawfully  detained 
monies  belonging  to  her  absent  I-ord,  and  called  upon  the  household  gods 
said  to  be  in  the  baskets  to  give  evidence  that  they  had  from  their 
baskets  heard  the  banker  confess  to  having  the  monies.  The  wretched  men 
packed  up  in  sheets  smeared  with  lamp-black  and  oil,  finding  themselves  in 
danger  of  exposures,  cried  out  that  it  was  as  Upasoka  stated.  The  King, 
thereupon,  demanded  a  sight  of  the  household  gods  and  out  of  the  baskets 
stepped  the  miserable  culprits  "  like  lumps  of  darkness."  Ridicule  and  exile 
were  their  reward.  The  story  is  a  primitive  anticipation  of  the  Merry 
Wives  of  Windsor,  ^  ' 


184  GUIDE   TO   CALCUTTA. 

Pillar  3  has  no  sculptures.  No.  4  has  a  central  medal- 
lion— Lakshmi  standing  on  a  partially  blown  lotus.  The 
semi-medallion  above  shows  four  elephants  and  the  lower 
one  four  geese. 

Following  the  outside  of  the  screen.  Pillar  2  has  a  repre- 
sentation of  a  troop  of  apes  engaged,  with  the  assistance  of 
an  elephant,  in  pulling  out  a  tooth  from  a  seated  giant- 
Above,  a  man  and  a  woman  standing  on  a  lotus  ;  below 
a  woman's  head  peering  over  a  curtain.  Pillar  [4  the 
Ajatasatru  pillar]  originally  belonging  to  the  West  gate 
has  three  pictures  on  each  face. 

1.  A  couple  of  men  sitting  round  a  Bodhi  tree  before  which  is  an  altar. 

2.  The  Sankisa  ladder — A  triple  ladder  from  heaven  to  earth. 
" "  The  ladder  to  the  right  of  the  central  one,  and  like  it  of  gold  was 
that  by  which  Sekra  (Indra)  accompanied  Buddha  and  descended 
to  earth  along  with  him  ;  the  ladder  on  the  left  was  of  silver, 
and  on  it  Brahma  descended  on  the  same  occasion  as  one  of  Buddha's 
attendants.  These  ladders  were  called  into  existence  by  Sekra  on 
the  occasion  when  Buddha  was  returning  from  the  Trayastrimsat 
heaven  to  earth,  after  having  preached  his  doctrines  to  the  devvas 
and  his  mother  Maha  Maya." 

3.  The  visit  of  Raja  Ajatasatru  to  Buddha  in  the  mango  garden  of 
Jiwaka.  The  sacred  trees  in  these  pictures  probably  represent  the 
different  Buddhas  or  blessed  ones.  Ajatasatru  slowly  starved  his 
father  Bimbasara  to  death  :  remorse  for  his  crime  led  to  his  visit  to 
the  Buddha. 

Second  face — 1.  The  Sudhammo :  the  mote-hall  of  the  gods 
— a  three-storied  building  with  a  temple  to  one  side  of  it.  On 
the  altar  is  seen  the  chuda  or  top-knot  of  Buddha's  hair  and  head- 
dress which  were  carried  to  the  Trayastrimsat  heavens  by  the  dewas, 
when  the  Buddha  cut  off  his  hair  with  a  single  sword  stroke  on  the 
banks  of  Anoma  river.  Below  the  buildings  there  is  a  represent- 
ation of  male  musicians  and  four  dancing  women — the  Gandharvas 
and  Apsaras  as  of  "Indra's  happy  heaven."  See  Rhys  David's 
book  where  this  sculpture  is  reproduced.     Pp.  66  ei  seq. 

2.  The  arrival  of  the  dewas  at  the  Mahavana  Widhara  to  hear  the 
Mahasamaya  Sutra.  The  impression  of  three  human  hands  on  the  altar 
and  two  footprints  at  the  base.  Note  the  Buddhist  wheel  and  the 
footprints.  The  Buddhist  wheel  has  been  derived  from  Sun  Wor- 
ship. The  footprint  emblem  is  still  worshipped  by  folk  in  the 
Kangra  Valley. 

3.  "Ajatasatru  worships  the  blessed  one. " 

The  Northern  Railing. — Passing  round  to  the 
window  side  of  the  gallery,  we  will  commence  studying 
the  northern  portion  of  the  railing.  Standing  with 
our  back  to  the  window,  we  commence  with  the  pillar 
No.  5  to  the  left  of  the  gate.  This  pillar,  originally  part  of 
the  North  gate,  has  one   female  and  two   male  figures  all 


d\ 


THE    MUSEUM.  185 

nearly  life-size.  The  male  figure  is  that  of  Waisrama, 
the  king  of  the  Yakshas,  and  the  inscription  records  that 
it  was  the  gift  of  lay-brother  Buddha  Rakshita  of  Satu- 
padana.  The  head-dress  and  perforation  of  the  ears  are 
worthy  of  careful  notice.  The  figure,  4  feet  5  inch  high, 
stands  on  the  head  and  shoulders  of  a  dwarfed  human 
monster.  The  female  figure  is  that  of  "the  Yakhini  Chan- 
dra, "  who  in  company  with  Waisiavana  was  entrusted 
with  a  sharp  look  out  over  the  northern  quarter  of  Maha 
Meru.  Students  of  the  history  of  human  vanities  will  take 
note  that  the  arrangement  of  the  lady's  hair  suggested 
to  Dr.  Anderson  the  reflection  "that  cushions  and  other 
contrivances,  not  miknown  to  the  fair  sex  of  the  present 
day"  were  in  vogue  two  thousand  years  ago.  He  will 
also  note  ' '  the  little  rosettes  of  gold  tinsel  that  are  worn 
on  the  forehead  of  native  women  at  the  present  day.  " 
The  jewellery,  necklaces,  etc.,  with  which  tliis  semi-nude 
figure  is  decked  render  this  particular  figure  a  museum  in 
itself.  She  stands  on  the  head  of  a  monster  half  fish  and 
half -goat.  The  male  figure  holding  a  lotus  in  his  left 
hand  is  the  Yaksha  Ajakalaka. 

In  examining  this  pillar  we  have  strayed  round  to  the 
other  side  of  the  raihng  :  tm-ning  round  again,  we  glance 
at  the  medalUons  on  the  suchi.  That  on  the  11th  cross- 
bar gives  us  a  picture,  which  we  can  see  in  real  life  to 
day  in  the  United  Provinces  of  a  cart  with  its  draught 
oxen  and  driver.  The  medalUon  on  the  12th  cross-bar  is 
chiefly  remarkable,  in  that  the  physiognomy  of  the  person 
represented  is  so  contrasted  with  that  depicted  elsewhere 
in  the  remains  of  the  raiUng. 

The  sixth  pillar  we  have  passed  over  as  of  subordinate 
interest :  the  seventh,  however,  is  of  great  importance,  as 
it  represents  the  re-incarnation  of  the  Buddha.  To 
appreciate  this  pillar  is  to  appreciate  the  essence  of  Bud- 
dhism. The  sculpture  represents  the  dream  of  Maha 
Maya,  the  mother  of  the  future  Buddha.  She  is  lying  on 
her  couch  and  three  attendants  are  in  her  room  :  the 
future  Buddha  appears  as  a  white  elephant.  The  story 
of  Maya's  dream  is  strikingly  represented  in  a  bas-relief 
from  Amravati,  which  will  be  found  in  the  Indo-Scythian 
gallery  (A.   1).     It     may,  perhaps,   be  pointed    out  that 


186  GUIDE    TO    CALCUTTA. 

these  sculptured  visions  of  the  story  do  not  necessarily 
afEord  any  early  evidence  that  the  sculptors  understood 
the  birth  of  Buddha  by  Maha  Maya  to  have  been  from  a 
virgin  conception.  The  wondrous  conception  of  the 
Buddha  is  represented  here,  as  in  the  introduction  to  the 
Jakata  book,  as  a  dream  and  not  as  a  fact,  and  it  illus- 
trates the  transmigration  of  souk — the  elephant  being  an 
incarnation  of  the  Buddha. 

Noticing  the  floral  decorations  of  the  intermediate  suchi, 
we  come  to  the  eighth  pillar.  The  medalHon,  beneath 
male  figures,  each  standing  on  a  five-headed  cobra, 
depicts  the  Bodhi  Tree  of  the  Buddha  Vihasin  or  the  sixth 
Buddha  before  Gautama. 

'"But  Fergusson's  explanation  of  the  old  monuments  as  being  devoted  to 
the  worship  requires  altogether  re-stating.  With  all  his  genius  he  wos 
attempting  the  impossible  when  he  tried  to  interpret  the  work  of  India's 
artists  without  a  knowledge  of  India's  literature.  His  mistake  was  very 
natural.  At  first  sight  such  bas-reliefs  as  those  figures  here  seem  most  cer- 
tainly to  show  men  and  animals  worshipping  a  tree,  that  is,  the  spirit 
residing  in  a  tree.  But  on  looking  further  we  see  that  the  tree  has  over 
it  an  inscription  stating  that  it  is  'the  Bodhi  Tree,  the  tree  of  wisdom,  of 
Kassapa,  the  Exalted  one.'  Every  Buddha  is  supposed  to  have  attaine<l 
enlightenment  under  a  tree.  The  tree  differs  in  accounts  of  each  of  them. 
Our  Buddha's  '  Wisdom  Tree,'  for  instance,  is  of  the  kind  called 
Assattha  or  Pippal  Tree.  Now,  while  in  all  the  accounts  of  Gautama's 
the  attainments  of  Buddhahood  there  is  no  mention  of  the  tree  under  whicli 
he  was  sitting  at  the  time,  yet  already  in  a  .Suttanta  it  is  incidentally 
mentioned  that  this  event  took  place  under  a  Pippal  tree ;  and  this  is  often 
referred  to  in  later  books.  In  these  old  sculptures  the  Buddha  himself  i.> 
never  represented  directly,  but  always  by  a  symbol.  What  we  have  here 
then  is  reverence  paid  to  the  tree,  not  for  its  own  sake,  and  not  to  any  soul 
or  spirit  supposed  to  be  in  it,  but  to  the  tree  either  as  the  symbol  of  the 
master,  or  because  (as  in  the  particular  ease  represented  in  the  figures),  it  was 
under  a  tree  of  that  kind  that  his  followers  believed  that  a  venerated  teacher 
of  old  had  become  a  Buddha.  In  either  case  it  is  a  straining  of  terms,  a 
misrepresentation  or  at  best  a  misunderstanding,  to  talk  of  tree-worship. 
The  Pippal  nas  a  sacred  tree  at  the  date  of  these  sculptures, — sacred, 
that  is,  to  the  memory  of  the  beloved  master  who  had  passed  away  :  and 
it  had  acquired  the  epithet  of  the  'Tree  of  Wisdom.'  But  the  wisdom 
was  the  wisdom  of  the  master,  not  of  the  tree  or  of  the  tree-god,  and 
could  not  be  obtained  by  eating  of  its  fruit."  Rhys  David's  Op.  cit., 
pp.  227—30. 

Pillar  9  represents  a  male  Naga,  and  two  half-serpent 
half-women  monsters.  The  last  pillar,  No.  10,  has  the 
figure  of  the  Yaksha  Supravasm.  He  stands  on  the  back 
of  an  elephant.  We  now  turn  round  to  our  right,  and 
e^ainiae  the  other  side  of  the  pillars, 


THE   MUSEUM.  187 

The  figure  on  the  side  of  pillar  10  facing  East  is  that  of  an 
apsaras  or  dancing  girl,  standing  on  a  lotus,  and  playing 
a  harp.  The  niedallion  on  the  7th  pillar  (facing  East)  repre- 
sents the  birth  of  a  male  human  child  of  a  doe  in  the  Hima- 
laya forest.  The  Bodhisat  is  depicted  lifting  the  child 
up  from  the  doe.  He  is  accompanied  by  two  fire-worship- 
ping Rishis.  The  upper  half  medallion  on  the  6th  pillar 
crudely  represents  a  boar  hunt. 

Pillar  11  of  the  South  Railing.  Facing  West  is  a  sculp- 
ture of  a  procession  of  elephants  carrying  a  relic  casket. 
"It  is  interesting  to  observe  that  not  only  the  goad  but 
the  trappings  are  also  of  the  same  shape  as  those  in  use  at 
the  present  day." 

The  adjoining  suchi  (2)  has  a  representation  of  Lakshmi. 
On  the  medallion  below  is  the  bust  of  a  woman  holding  a 
brush  or  mirror  in  her  left  hand,  arranging  her  head-dress 
with  her  right. 

The  central  medalhon  of  the  12th  pillar  depicts  the  Sala 
Bodhi  Tree  of  the  Buddha  Viswatu— the  fourth  Buddha 
before  Gaiitama.  Before  the  tree  is  an  altar  decorated 
with  flowers,  and  on  each  side  of  the  altar  kneel 
a  man  and  woman.  Another  man  and  woman  are  standing 
behind  holding  up  garlands.  (This  medallion  is  reproduced 
on  p.  229  of  Rhys  Davids'  book.)  The  adjoining  25tli 
suchi  represents  a  very  amusing  scene  of  some  monkeys 
mounted  on  an  elephant. 

Pillar  14  has  a  medaUion  which  represents  a  typical  story 
repeated  bv  Rhys  Davids  in  his  account  of  the  Jakata 
Book. 

■'  Follow  rather  the  Banj-an  Deer.'  The  master  told  when  at  Jetavana 
about  the  mother  of  Kumara  Kassapa,  and  so  on.  Then  follows  the  storj'  of 
this  lady,  how,  after  being  wrongfully  found  guilty  of  immoral  conduct,  she 
had  been  declared  innocent  through  the  intervention  of  the  Buddha.  Then 
it  is  said  that  the  brethren  talking  this  matter  over  at  eventide,  the  Buddha 
came  there,  and  learning  the  subject  of  their  discourse,  said  :  Not  only  has 
the  Tattagata  proved  a  support  and  protection  to  these  two  [the  lady  and  her 
son]  :  formerly  also  he  was  the  same.  Then,  on  request  he  revealed  that 
matter,    concealed    by    change  of  birth. 

' '  Once  upon  a  time,  when  Brahmadatta  was  reigning  in  Benares,  the  Bodhi- 
satta  was  re-born  as  a  deer,  a  king  of  the  deer,  by  name  the  Banyan  Deer,' 
and  so  on. 

"This  is  the  Jataka  proper.  It  tells  how  there  were  two  herd  of  deer  shut 
in  the  king's  park.  The  king  or  his  cook  went  daily  to  hunt  for  deer  and  for 
venison.  For  each  one  killed  many  were  wounded  or  harassed  by  the  clmse. 
So  the  goldeu  coloured  Banyaq  Deer,  king  of  one  of    the  herd,  went  to  the 


188  GUIDE   TO   CALCUTTA. 

king  of  the  other  herd,  the  Branch  Deer,  and  persuaded  him  to  a  compact 
that  lots  should  be  cast,  and  that  every  day  the  one  deer  on  whom  the  lot  fell 
should  go  voluntarily  to  the  cook's  place  of  execution,  and  lay  his  head  down 
on  the  block.  And  this  was  done.  And  so  by  the  daily  death  of  one  the  rest 
were  saved  from  torture  and  distress.  Now  one  day  the  lot  fell  upon  a  preg- 
nant doe  in  Branch  Deer's  herd.  She  applied  to  the  king  of  that  herd  to 
order  that  the  lot,  'which  was  not  meant  to  fall  on  two  at  once,'  should  pass  by 
her.  But  he  harshly  bade  her  begone  to  the  block.  Then  she  went  to  Kins 
Banj-an  Deer  and  told  her  piteous  tale.  He  said  he  would  see  to  it,  and  he 
went  himself  and  laid  his  head  upon  the  block. 

"Xow  the  king  had  declared  immunity  to  the  two  kings  of  the  respective 
herds.  When  the  cook  saw  King  Banj-an  Deer  lying  theie  with  his  head  on 
the  block,  he  went  hastily  and  told  the  king  [of  the  men].  The  latter  mounted 
his  chariot,  and  with  a  great  retinue  went  to  the  spot,  and  saidi:  My  fiiend, 
the  king  of  the  deer,  did  I  not  grant  you  your  life  ?  Why  are  you  here  ?'Then 
the  king  of  the  deer  told  him  all.  And  the  man-king  was  greatly  touched, 
and  said  :  'Rise  up  !  I  grant  you  your  lives,  both  to  you  and  to  her  !'  Then 
the  rejoinder  came  :  "But  though  two  be  thus  safe,  what  shall  the  rest  of 
the  herd  do,  O  king  of  men  ?'  So  they  also  obtained  security  And  when 
the  Banyan  Deer  had  similarly  procured  protection  for  all  the  various 
sort  of  living  things,  the  king  of  the  deer  exhorted  the  king  of  men  to  do  jus- 
tice and  mercy,  preaching  the  truth  to  him  'with  the  grace  of  a  Buddha.' 

■  'And  the  doe  gave  birth  to  a  son,  beautiful  as  buds  of  flowers,  and  he  went 
playing  with  tlie  Branch  Deer's  herd.  Then  his  mother  exhorted  him  in  a 
verse  :  — 

"  Follow  rather  the  Banyan  Deer  ; 

Cultivate  not  the  Branch  ! 

Death  with  the  Banyan,  were  better  far. 

Than,  with  the  Branch,  long  life." 

And  the  Banyan  Deer  made  a  compact  with  the  men  that  whenever 
leaves  were  tied  round  a  field  the  deer  should  not  trespass,  and  he  made 
all  the  deer  keep  to  the  bargain.  From  that  time  they  say,  the  sign  of  the 
tying  of  leaves  was  seen  in  the  fields. 

''This  is  the  end  of  the  Jataka  proper,  the  'Story  of  the  Past.' 
'Then  the  Teacher  identified  the  characters  in  the  story  as  being  himself 
and  his  contemporaries  in  a  former  birth.  'He  who  was  the  Branch  is  now 
Devadattn,  his  herd  the  members  of  the  order  who  followed  Devadatta  in  his 
schism, the  doe  is  now  Kumara  Kassapa's  mother, the  Deer  she  gave  birth  to  is 
now  her  son  Kumara  Kassapa,  the  king  of  themenisnow  Ananda,but  Banyan, 
the  King  of  the  Deer,  was  I  myself."  Rhys  Davids.     Op.  cit.,  pp.  190 — 94. 

Pillar  16  is  ornamented  with  a  figure  of  Sirima  Devata — 
either  Sirima,  the  sister  of  Jivaka,  the  physician,  a 
famous  courtesan,  to  wit,  at  the  court  of  Bimbisara  or 
also  Srimata  ("fortunate  mother")  of  the  Buddha. 

Turning  now  to  the  left,  we  find  on  the  other  front  of  the 
16th  pillar,  Suchiloma  Yaksha,  who,  in  company  wth 
Viri-paksha  and  Devata,  were  guardians  of  the  western 
quarter  of  Mount  Mera. 

The  East  face  of  pillar  14  contains  a  medallion  of  great 
interest  to  students  of  Buddhism.     It  represents  Anath?i 


THE  MUSEUM.  189 

Pindika's  famous  gift  of  the  Vetavana  Park  "to  the  order 
of  mendicants  with  the  Buddha  at  their  head.  ' '  To  the 
left  is  the  park  which  labourers  are  strewing  with  gold  coins. 
In  the  foreground  is  a  cart  from  which  two  bullocks  are 
unyoked,  while  two  men  are  engaged  in  unloading  it 
of  the  gold  coins.  In  the  centre  Antaha  Pandika  stands, 
holding  in  his  hands  the  golden  vessel  to  pour  on  the 
teacher's  hands  as  an  act  of  donation — the  teacher  being 
represented  by  a  sacred  mango  tree  miraculously 
sprung  from  a  stone  of  mango  eaten  by  the  Buddha.  The 
two  buildings  represent  (by  an  anachronism)  the  Gandha 
and  Kosamba  temples. 

The  26th  snxihi  is  a  monkey-elephant  scene  corre- 
sponding to  the  one  on  its  West  face.  The  monkeys  are 
evidently  finding  their  means  of  locomotion  a  bit  trouble- 
some. 

Close  to  the  entrance  to  the  gallery  are  three  pillars  in 
the  North-West  corner — Nos.  17,  18,  19, — and  three  in  the 
North-East  corner.  Of  the  sculptures  of  the  three  pillars 
to  our  left  as  we  face  the  door,  the  most  interesting  are  the 
recumbent  humped  cattle  in  the  upper  half  medalHon  of 
pillar  19  facing  South,  and  the  figure  of  Chulakota  Devata 
on  the  North  face  of  pillar  17.  The  reader  will  notice 
how,  despite  the  almost  modern  ornaments,  how  Httle  the 
figure  resembles  a  modern  Hindu  woman.  Behind  these 
segregated  pillars,  according  to  the  official  guide,  are  three 
raedalUons  fixed  into  the  North  wall,  these  are  now  arranged 
on  a  table  in  thegallery  on  the  South  side  of  the  Museum : 

1.  A  view  of  a  temple  with  two  palms. 

2.  ■  'The  elephant  birth." 

"In  times  paat,  when  Raja  Brahmadatta  reigned  in  Benares,  there  lived 
in  a  certain  pond  a  gigantic  crab.  Near  this  pond,  which  was  named 
after  the  crab,  there  lived  a  herd  of  elephants  under  a  king  or  leader  of 
their  own.  Whenever  the  herd  went  down  to  the  pond  to  feed  on  the 
roots  of  the  lotus,  the  great  crab  would  seize  one  of  them  by  the  hind 
leg  and  hold  it  fast  until  it  died  from  exhaustion,  when  the  crab  would 
feed  on  the  carcass  at  its  leisure.  Now  it  happened  at  this  time  that 
Bodhisat  was  conceived  in  the  womb  of  the  Queen  Elephant,  who 
retired  to  a  secluded  part  of  the  forest,  and  in  due  com'se  gave  birth  to 
the  'Discoverer  of  Truth'.  When  Bodhisat  grew  up,  he  chose  a  large 
female  elephant  for  his  mate,  and  taking  with  him  his  mother  and  hi8 
mate,  he  proceeded  to  the  neighbourhood  of  the  crab  to  pay  a  visit  to 
his  father.  When  Bodhisat  heard  that  the  crab  was  in  the  habit  of 
killing  many  of  the  elephants  that  went  dowti  to  the  pond,  h«  said  to 


190  GUIDE   TO   CALCUTTA. 

his  parent;  'Father,  charge  nie  with  the  work  of  destroying  this  crab.' 
But  his  father  replied:  "Son,  do  not  ask  this — that  crab  has 
destroj'cd  many  elephants,  therefore,  you  must  not  go  near  the  pond.' 
Hut,  arrogating  to  himself  the  dangerous  task  of  l<illing  the  crah, 
Bodhisat  led  a  herd  of  elephants  down  to  the  bank  of  the  pond,  and 
going  into  the  water  they  all  fed  on  the  roots  of  the  lotus.  On  leaving 
the  pond,  Bodhisat  brought  up  the  rear,  when  thegreat  crab  seized  him 
by  the  hind  leg,  and  dragged  him  towards  his  hole.  Then  Bodhisat 
called  out  for  his  life — and  the  herd  of  elephants  roared  too  and  through 
fear  fled  away  from  the  pond.  Then  Bodhisat  cried  out  to  his  mate : 
'Omeritorious, spouse-loving,  shp-elephant !  the  big  bold-eyed  crab,  who 
lives  in  this  pond,  has  seized  me  by  one  of  the  hind  legs  ;  why,  there- 
fore, do  you  leave  me  ?'  Hearing  this  the  female  elephant  drew  near 
to  him  and  said,  'Keep  up  your  courage,  for  even  if  I  were  offered 
ten  thousand  yojanas  of  [land  in]  Dambadiroa,  I  would  not  forsake 
thee.'  Then,  turning  to  the  crab,  she  said  :  'O  gold-coloured  one 
of  great  size,  the  king  and  chief  of  all  crabs,  I  pray  thee  let  go  of 
my  husband,  the  king  of  the  elephants.'  Then,  the  crab,  moved 
by  her  words,  and  ignorant  of  his  danger,  loosened  his  hold  on 
Bodhisat,  who,  no  sooner  than  he  felt  himself  free,  set  his  foot  on 
the  back  of  the  crab  and  crushed  him.  So  the  crab  died,  and  Bodhisit 
roared  with  delight,  and  the  rest  of  the  herd  trampling  on  the  crab, 
his  body  was  crushed  to  pieces.  But  the  two  big  claws  still  remained 
in  the  pond  from  whence  they  were  carried  into  the  Ganges.  Here 
one  claw  was  caught  by  the  Devata  princes  who  made  it  a  drum  to 
be  used  at  their  festival  gathering,  while  the  other  claw  was  carried 
down  to  the  ocean  where  it  was  .sei/ed  by  the  Asuras  who  made  it 
into  a  drum  to  be  played  at  their  festival. 

The  third  niedaUion  represents  the  Bodhi  tree  of  the 
fourth  Buddha.  Returning  now  to  the  first  of  the  three 
pillars  and  suchi  in  the  North-East  corner,  we  find  on  the 
one  numbered  24,  a  medallion  representing  an  interview 
between  a  monkey  and  a  man,  both  seated  on  stools — 
perhaps  the  interview  between  Rama  and  Sugriva,  King 
of  Monkeys. 

We  will  now  inspect  the  four  pillars  and  5ucAi  arranged 
at  the  South  end  of  the  room.  On  sucki  No.  55,  there  is  a 
representation  of  a  Pagoda  and  a  Bodhi  tree,  recalling  the 
Temple  at  Budh  Gya  built  to  commemorate  the  attain- 
ment of  Buddhahood  by  Gautama,  beneath  a  tree  growing 
on  that  spot. 

The  28th  pillar  has  a  representation  of  a  private  residence: 
an  elephant  and  its  rider  are  seen  issuing  from  the  gate. 
To  the  right  of  the  gate  four  figures,  one  with  handuplifted, 
are  seen  in  a  hall.  Above  is  a  representation  of  elephants, 
and  a  worshipper  before  the  Bodhi  tree.  On  the  South 
side  of  this  pillar  there  are  four  scenes  which  are  held  by 


THE  MUSEUM.  191 

Cunningham  to  refer  to  the  story  of  "the  Vidhura  (and) 
Punakha   birth.  " 

1.  The  lowest  scene  :  A  courtyard.  The  tigure  seated  ou  a  cushioned 
stool  may  be  identified  by  his  ornaments  with  the  man  riding  in  the 
scene  above. 

2.  (Immediately  above  the  roof  depicted  in  Xo.  1):  A  horse  and 
its  rider  rising  in  the  air  from  behind  the  building  in  No.  1.  A  man 
holding  another  by  his  heels  over  a  precipice.  Two  others  watching 
with  hands  uplifted. 

3.  The  same  courty:u-d  as  in  1:  A  Nag  a  (note  the  cobra  head-dress) 
and  his  wife  seated  :  a  man  entering  by  a  gate  :  two  devotees  in  the 
foreground. 

4.  Upper  portion  of  a  house:  a  woman's  head  peering  out  from  an 
arched  window.  To  the  left  rocks  and  trees  with  tigers,  and  a  man 
and  a  woman  standing  on  each  side  of  a  tree. 

For  the  story  these  sculptures    are  believed  to  illustrate  we  must  be  con- 
tent to  refer  our  readers  to  the  official  catalogue,  part  I,  pp.  61-3. 

The  29th  pillar  (originally  the  corner  of  the  South  gate) 
has  three  bas-reliefs  on  its  South  side. 

1.  The  lowest  :  The  Bodhi  tree  of  Kassapa  (ficus  lenguhnsis)  with 
worshipping  elephants.     Before  the  tree  is  a  throne. 

•1.  Middle  :  Worship  of  the  Bodhi  tree  by  Nagas.  A  large-headed 
cobra  is  seen  rising  out  of  the  water(  '>.)  and  perhaps  represents  Ariapata 
who  was  condemned  to  wear  the  form  of  a  suake  until  the  appearance 
ot  the  4th  Buddha,  i.e.,  Gautama.  The  figures  are  worshipping  an 
invisible-   Buddha  supposed  to  be  seated  beneath  the  tree. 

3.  King  Pasenadi  of  Kosala  in  his  chariot:  The  chariot  is  dravn  by 
four  horses  with  long  flowing  tails  which  are  apparently  fastened  to 
the  traces.  An  attendant  in  the  car  holds  the  reins.  Before  the  car 
run  two  footmen  proceeded  by  a  mounted  eq  uerrj'.  Above  the  chariot 
is  a  building  with  "the  wheel  of  tlie  Blessed  One."  The  chariot 
procession  is  mounting  up  round  fhc  left  of  this  building,  and  on 
tho  right  appears  with  two  clephantb  and  their  mahouts  at  i<s  head. 

The   West    face    of   this  pillar  has  also  three  distinct 
bas-reliefs  : 

1.     A  stupa — perhaps  the  Barahut  Stupa  itself. 

,  ,  "\      Apparently    Vidvadharas — ""superna- 

A  man  and  a    woman.    I  ,       \  i    •  '   •       ii      i         i  j 

'  tui-al   beings    possessing  the   knowledge 


f 


.,      ,r,  ,  (of  magic     arts     and    residents    in    the 

.!.      The  same   couple,  I  „.      f    „  vc     „i.  ;„„  >> 

^  )  Himalaya  Mountains. 

The  North  face  represents  "  the  Bodhi  tree  of  the  blessed 
Sakyamuni.  "  The  trunk  passes  down  through  the  roof 
of  a  temple  to  an  altar  below.  Cunningham  conjectures 
that  this  sculpture  is  "an  actual  representation  of  the 
famous  Bodhimanda  at  Buddha  Gaya,  "  and  adds  that, 
if  thip  bp  thp  case,   '  'wp  havp  before  ua  a  very  fine  specimen 


192  GUIDE   TO   CALCUTTA. 

of  Indian  architecture  of  the  time  of  King  Asoka,  and  one 
of  the  most  sacred  objects  of  Buddhist  worship.  " 

Suchi  No.  59  illustrates  the  story  of  the  "Quail  birth"  — 
which  relates  to  the  times  when  "Bodhisatta  was  born  as 
an  elephant,  and  was  the  leader  of  80,000  other  elephants." 

'  'A  quail  liad  hatched  her  eggs  on  a  certain  patlnvay :  at  her  request,  -vvlien 
the  80,000  passed  that  waj-,  the  leader  of  the  herd  stood  over  the  spot  where 
the  nest  was,  and  protected  them  till  the  herd  had  passed  by.  A  little  after, 
as  the  Bodhisat  had  forewarned  the  quail,  came  a  furious  solitary  elephant, 
who  deaf  to  the  passionate  entreaties  of  the  bird,  trampled  on  the  3'oung  and 
helpless  birds  with  his  left  foot.  "You  shall  see,' '  piped  the  quail,  "what  a 
weak  little  bird  can  do  against  thy  boasted  strength."  She  therefore  engaged 
the  services  of  a  crow,  a  flesh-fly,  and  a  frog.  The  crow  pecked  out  the  i-lc- 
phant's  eyes,  the  flesh-fly  laid  her  eggs  in  the  wounds,  thi!  frog  stationed  him- 
self near  a  precipice  and  croaked  to  make  the  elephant  believe  that  water 
was  near.  Over  went  the  elephant,  and  soon  the  quail  was  seen  perched 
on  the  carcass  of  her  foe. 

Suchi  No.  55  has  a  representation  of  a  portion  of  a 
temple  or  a  hall. 

The  foregoing  description  of  the  stone  railing  of  the 
Barahut  Stupa  must  serve  to  indicate  the  exceedingly  great 
interest  of  these  ancient  Buddhist  monuments.  For  an  ela- 
borately detailed  account  of  the  carvings  of  the  architrave 
the  reader  must  consult  the  official  catalogue. 

OuTERSiDE  OF  Aechitkave  (Lotus  Ornamentation). 

Innekside  (of  Gate). 

A.  1.     A  lion. 

A.  2.     An  elephant. 
Beginning  on  north. 

A.  3 — 6.  Probably  represents  the  murder  of  two  children  by  their 
parents. 

A.  7.     Two  men  fighting  with  a  troop  of  monkeys. 

A.  9-  A  man  and  a  woman,  with  a  dog,  conversing  with  a  priest,  carrying 
an  open  umbrella  and  wooden  sandals  in  his  right  hand,  and  a  staff 
with  a  traveller's  wallet  over  his  left  shoulder.  Supposed  by  Cunning- 
ham to  be  the  Durastha  Jataka,  the  priest  being  Prince  Bharata.  and 
the  man  Rama,  and  the  woman  Sita. 

A.  17.  A  dead  ox  offered  straw  by  a  young  man — the  Sujaln-gah  ruto 
Jataka.  The  Bodhisat  is  offering  fodder  to  a  dead  animal  in  order  to 
demonstrate  to  a  son  bereaved  of  his  father  that  '  'it  is  of  no  purpose 
to  weep  for  the  dead." 

A- 19.  Biddla  Jafara  ;  Kiikhuta  Jataka.  A  eoek  sitting  in  a  tree  and 
a  cat  watching  it  from  the  ground.  '  'In  days  long  past  when  Brah- 
madatta  reigned  in  Benares, Bodhisatta  was  a  cock  living  in  the  forest 
with  a  large  brood  of  fowls.  At  that  time  a  she  eat  was  living  close  by 
who  had  already  eaten  many  of  the  fowls,  and  was  now  intent  on  get- 
ting hold  of  the  Bodhisatta  himself."  To  secure  this  dainty  prey  the 
cat  offered  he*  paw  in  matrimony  to  the  cock  :  but  the  astute  Mni 


THE   MUSEUM.  193 

spied  out  her  treachery.  Having  told  his  tale,  the  Buddha  added, 
"0  priest,  had  that  cock  fallen  in  love  and  lived  with  her,  his  death 
■nould  have  followed.  In  like  manner,  if  a  man  falls  into  the  hands  of 
a  woman,  liis  life  will  be  in  danger.  But  if  he  escapes  the  fascination 
of  woman,  as  the  cock  who  got  rid  of  the  cat,  his  fate  will  be  happy. 
At  that  time   Bodhisatta  was  the  cock." 

A.  21.     Represents  one  of  the  eight  Buddhist  hells. 

A.  23.  Two  trees  in  one  of  which  a  woman  is  seated,  and  beneath  her 
three  jackals,  and  close  by  a  recumbent  man.  The  story  is  that  of 
Rama,  King  of  Benares,  and  Priya,  his  future  wife,  both  of  whom  had 
been  stricken  with  white  leprosy,  and  were  cured  by  the  fruit  of  these 
trees. 

A.  46.  ""The  Makka  Deva  Birth."  The  barber  has  found  a  grey  hair 
among  the  monarch's  locks.  The  monarch  had  still  84  thousand  years 
of  life  before  him,  yet  the  single  grey  hair  leads  him  to  reflect : — 

'"These  grey  hairs  that  have  come  upon  my  head 
Are  angel  messengers  appearing  to  me. 
Laying  stern  hands  upon  the  evening  of  my  life  ! 
'Tis  time  I  should  devote  myself  to  holy  thought." 

''Having  thus  spoken  he  laid  down  his  sovereignty,  and  became  a  hermit, 
and  living  in  a  mango-grove  of  Makka  Deva,of  which  he  had  spoken, 
he  spent  84  thousand  j'cars  in  practising  perfect  good-will  towards  all 
beings,   and   in  constant    devotion    to    meditation."     The    Buddha 

explained,     '  "The  barber  of  that  time  was  Ananda but  Makka 

Deva,  the  king,  was  myself." 

A.  48.  A  teacher  seated  on  a  stone  with  four  male  figures  before  him. 
The  four  have  their  hair  dressed  in  feminine  fashion.  The  teacher  is 
Dirghatapas.a  leader  of  a  sect  who  at  all  costs  insisted  on  drinking  and 
washing  in  hot  water, ' '  because  they  thought  that  in  small  drops  there 
are  small  worms, and  in  large  drops  there  are  large  worms. "  Dirgha- 
tapas  is  certainly  worthy  of  public  recognition.  How  quaint  to  find 
here  in  these  ancient  stones  the  wisdom  which  modern  men  of  science 
are  endeavouring  to  enforce  upon  East  African  travellers  ! 

A.  54.  "What  is  Vaduka  thinking  of  that  he  attempts  to  milk  water 
from  the  leather  bag  when  there  are  lotus-stalks  by  wliich  he  might 
obtain  it." 

A.  .56.  "That  is  even  the  Jambu  tree  (the  wishing  tree  of  Indru's 
heaven)  is  ready  to  hand. 

Architrave  of  fragments  now  removed  to  the  table  in  the  centre  of  the  lower  South 

Oallery. 

\.  57.     Portion  of  the  coping  of  a  gate-screen.  ^"'  >^S 

A.  60.  A  man  standing  near  a  recumbent  ox.  A  part  of  the  Nandi 
Visala  Jataka. 

A.  66-67.  The  wondrous  archery  feats  of  Asadisa,the  son  of  Brahma- 
datta,  King  of  Benares. 

A.  68-69.     A  Rishi  knocked  over  by  a  gigantic  ram. 

A.  72-73.     A  Rishi  and  a  five-headed  cobra. 

A.  74.  Three  flying  rishis.  According  to  Cunningham  an  incident  in 
the  Abhineshkrama  Sutra  or  story  of  the  ploughing  match. 

A.  81-83.  Illustrating  the  Jilnaka  Jataka.  The  man  and  woman  stand- 
ing are  respectively  .Janaka  Raja — the  beautiful  son  of  Arita  Janaka, 
King  of  Alithita,  and  his  wife  Sivali.  In  83  the  head  and  hands  of  a 
woman  appear  out  of  a  huge  water  vessel.  There  is  a  man  seated  at 
the  corner  of  a  house,  and  another  man  pointing  to  the  woman. 

F,  GC  13 


194  GUIDK    TO    CALCUTTA. 

A.  85.  Probably  represents  the  four  exiled  princes  appearing  before  tlic 
teacher  Kapila.  The  last  Ikshwaku  king  is  said  to  have  had  five  wives 
and  five  sons,  one  by  each  of  his  wives.  The  mother  of  the  youngest, 
five  days  after  his  birth,  '  'arrayed  him  in  a  splendid  robe,  took  him 
to  the  king,  and  placing  him  in  his  arms  told  him  to  admire  his  beauty. 
The  king,  ou  seeing  him,  was  much  delighted  that  she  had  borne  him 
so  beautiful  a  son  in  his  old  age,  and  gave  her  permission  to  ask  for  any 
thing  she  might  desire.  She  of  course  asked  that  her  son  might  be 
declared  heir  to  the  throne  which  was  then  refused."  In  the  end,  how- 
ever, the  king  gave  way,  and  his  four  elder  sons  were  sent  forth  to 
search  for  new  abodes,  and  the  youngest  was  declared  heir  to  the  throne. 
Their  sisters,  cast  in  their  lot  -vnth  the  exiles,  and  the  party  set  fortli 
for  Benares.  In  the  course  of  their  wanderings  thej'  chanced  upon  the 
holy  hermit  Kapila,  to  whom  they  paid  their  respect.  '  The  sage  then 
offered  them  the  site  of  hi.s  own  hermitage  'for  the  building  of  their 
city,  telling  them  that  if  oven  an  outcast  had  been  born  there,  it  would 
at  some  future  period  be  honoured  by  the  presence  of  a  chakrawti. 
and  that  from  it  a  being  would  proceed  who  would  he  an  assistance 
to  all  the  intelligences  of  the  world.  No  other  favour  did  the  sage 
request  in  return,  but  that  the  princes  would  call  the  eity  by  his  own 
name  Kapila.  Unwilling  to  take  their  wives  from  tlie  houses  of  in- 
ferior kings,  each  half-brother  took  to  wife  a  half-sister  by  a 
mother  not  his  own,  the  eldest  sister  remaining  single  and 
appointed  queen-mother.  In  time  each  queen  bore  her  lord  eight  sons 
and  eight  daughters.  On  hearing  this  marvellous  news  the  old  king 
exclaimed,  "Shakya.  Shakya"  —  "Is  it  possible  ?  Is  it  possible  ?"  or 
'"O  daring!  O  daring!"     Hence  the  famous  Shakya  name. 

A.  98.  Inscribed  '  'Chitupiidasita."  Perhaps  the  oldest  picture  in  the 
world  of  a  gambling  scene.  Buddha  himself,  in  a  previous  birth,  is 
seated  on  a  rock,  while  two  figures,  probablj'  those  of  the  cheaters,  arc 
descending  down  a  sinking  rock  into  hell.  The  interpretation  is  con- 
jectural. 

A.  104.  '  "The  arrival  of  Rama,  Sita,  and  Lakshana  at  the  hermitage 
of  the  sage  Bharadwaja,  near  the  junction  of  the  Ganges  and  Jumno 
at  Prayaga  (Allahabad),  or  that  of  VMrnika  near  Chi trakuta." 

A.  108.  A  scene  of  two  men  and  two  monkeys. 

A.  112.     The  Kinnara  Jataka. 

A.  11 4  is  only  a  fragment,  but  Cunningham  says  that  it ' 'would  have  been 
one  of  the  most  interesting  of  the  whole  series."  It  is  a  representation 
of  the  fire-worshipping  Uruvelva  Kasyapa. 

Having  studied  the  architrave  the  reader  will  notice 
two  pillars  placed  against  the  south  -wall  of  the  gallery. 

P.  30.     The  figure  of  a  soldier,  bare-headed  and  with  short  hair. 
P.  31.     The  Yakshini  Sudarsana — one  of  the  divine  Apsarases.    Notice 
the  earrings. 

Our  description  of  the  Barahut  Stupa  must  close  here  : 
to  deal  with  it  exhaustively  in  a  few  pages  of  a  guide- 
book would  be  impossible  :  and  we  cannot  pretend  to  have 
even  given  a  superficially  adequate  account  of  its  intrinsic 
charm.  The  reader  who  cares  to  go  as  far  as  we  have 
taken  him  will,  however,  be  prepared  to  consult  the  works 


I 


THK    Ml'SKI'M.  19') 

0!  Cunningham,  Edwards,  Spence,  Hardy,  Fausboll,  Beal, 
Hoernle,  and   Rhys  David. 

In  the  same  room  as  the  portions  of  the  Barahut  Stupa 
will  be  found  some  casts  of  the  stupa  at  Sanchi — between 
the  towns  of  Bhilsa  and  Bhopal  in  the  Central  Provinces. 
On  the  hill  plateaux  of  Sanchi  there  are  no  less  than  eleven 
topes,  some  of  which  were  excavated  in  1822  and  the  rest 
in  1851.  One  of  the  smaller  topes  was  found  to  contain 
part  of  the  ashes  from  the  funeral  pyres  of  two  of  the  Bud- 
dha's chief  disciples— Sariputta  and  Moggaltana.  The 
larger  tope  yielded  no  discovery  of  relics.  In  the  opinion 
of  Cunningham,  the  tope  is  older  and  the  gates  younger 
than  Asoka's  time,  but  the  railing  belongs  to  his  reign. 
The  south  gateway — the  oldest — was  according  to  Fergus- 
son  {Tipp  ii7id  Serpent  Worship^  p.  99)  "being  carved 
while  Christ  was  preaching  at  Jerusalem.  ' ' 

.S.  1 .  A  dagoba  surrounded  by  three  rails.  The  figures  in  the  foreground 
are  apparently  of  a  race  different  from  the  Hindu  represented  in  the 
other  sculptures.  Fergusson  draws  attention  to  the  pec^uliarity  of  their 
musical  instruments.     Some  Himalayan  race  is  probably  represented. 

S.  2.     The  archery  feat  of  Prince  Siddhattha. 

S.  3.     The  Sama  Jataka. 

S.  4.     A  chariot  procession. 

S.  5.     A  half  medallion  from  a  pillar  of  the  railing  of  the  2nd  tope. 

S.  6.  A  female  figure  standing  on  a  lotus  throne  with  two  small  attendant 
figures  on  each  side. 

S.  7.     A  monster — part  elephant,  part  fish. 

S.  8.     An  elephant  coming  out  of  a  gate. 

S.  9.     A  five-headed  cobra. 

S.  10.    The  worship  of  the  wheel. 

.S.  12.  A  woman  standing  under  a  aal  tree  in  the  usual  attitude  of  Mfiyi, 
Gautama's  mother,  in  the  Lumbini  Garden. 

On  the  eastern  wall  will  be  found  casts  of  the  friezes 
of  the  rock-cut  temples  of  Orissa.  These  casts  were  exe- 
cuted at  the  cost  of  the  Government  of  Bengal  under  the 
direction  of  the  late  Mr.  H.  H.  Locke.  Dr.  Mitra  and 
Mr.  Fergusson  are  in  agreement  that  the  caves  were  exca- 
vated between  the  years  250  and  100  B.  C,  and  were  for 
many  centuries  the  cells  of  hermits.  The  art  is  very  simi- 
lar to  that  of  the  Barahut  Stupa,  but  the  execution  is  per- 
haps somewhat  more  vigorous.  In  this  gallery  will  also 
be  found  : — 

Two  statues— one    without    a   head   and    the  other  with   the  head  much 
,  Jpfaced.     These  were  brought  from  n  tiol  I  ii' ar  Patna  to  the  Asiatic  Society  -» 


196  GUIDE   TO    CALCUTTA. 

rooms  in  1821.  The  late  Mr.  A.  E.  Caddy  affected  to  see  in  these  two  figures 
traces  of  Greek  artistic  influence  at  Asoka's  court  at  Pataliputra.  The  in- 
scriptions on  the  back  are  of  the  old  Pali  type,  and  furnish  the  statues 
with  a  record  of  2,000  years  of  existence. 

In  an  exhibition  case  (close  to  window)  are  some  ancient 
vases  discovered  by  Mr.  Peppe  in  the  Sakiya  Tope  which 
contain  the  oldest  inscriptions  yet  discovered  in  India. 
These  represent  the  stage  in  the  development  of  writing 
which,  until  further  discovery  reveals  intermediate  stages, 
ranks  before  the  Asoka  inscriptions. 

Galleries  2   and  3. 
Grccco-Buddhist  and  Indo-Scythian  Sculptures. 

The  empire  of  Asoka  seems  to  have  been  broken  up  very  soon  after  his  death, 
although  for  many  centuries  his  descendants  maintained  themselves  as  local 
rajas  at  Magadha.  The  destruction  of  the  Mauriya  imperial  dynasty  may  be 
dated  B.  C.  184  when  the  weak  prince,  Brihadratha,  was  treacherously  slain 
by  his  Commander-in-Chief,  Pushyamitra  Sunga,  who  founded  the  Sunga 
Dynasty  (B.  C.  184  to  72).  The  usurper  reigned  from  Asoka's  imperial  city 
of  Pataliputra,  and  it  was  in  his  reign  the  Greek  King  Meander  made  a 
strenuous  but  unsuccessful  attempt  to  capture  India  (165-63  B.  C). 

"  Thus  ended  the  last  attempt  by  a  European  general  to  conquer  India  by 
land.  All  subsequent  invaders  from  the  western  continent  have  come  in  ships 
trusting  to  their  command  by  the  sea,  and  using  it  as  their  base.  From  the 
repulse  of  Menander  in  163  B.  C,  until  the  bombardment  of  Calicut  by  Vasco 
da  Gama  in  1602  A.  i).,  India  enjoyed  immunity  from  European  attack,  and 
it  is  unlikely  that  the  invasion  of  India  by  land  will  be  seriously  undertaken 
ever  again."     V^incent  Smith  :     Early  History  of  Ivdia,  p.  177. 

The  Sunga  Dynasty  was  in  its  turn  superseded  bytheKanva,  and  thcKanva 
in  its  turn,  by  the  Andhra.  But  these  dynasties  which  had  succeeded  to  Asoka 
in  th^  interior  of  India,  failed  to  grasp  Asoka's  sway  over  the  lands  of  the 
Punjab.  These  distant  lands  were  the  coveted  prey  of  the  Hellenised 
princes  of  Bactria  and  Parthia,  who  had  successfully  revolted  from  their 
Seleukidan  lord.  The  influence  of  Greek  ci\ilisation  on  the  people  of  the 
Punjab  has  been  declared  by  Mr.  Vincent  Smith  to  have  been  but  slight. 

'  "The  invasions  of  Alexander,  Antiochus  the  Great,  Demetrios,  Eukratides, 
and  Menander  were  in  f^ct.  whatever  their  authors  may  have  intended,  mere- 
ly military  incursions,  which  left  no  appreciable  mark  upon  the  institutions 
ot  India.  The  prolonged  occupation  of  the  Punjab  and  neighbouring  regions 
by  Greek  rulers  had  extremely  little  effect  in  Hellenizing  the  countrJ^  Greek 
political  institutions  and  architecture  were  rejected,  althougli  to  a  small  ex- 
tent Hellenic  example  was  accepted  in  the  decorative  arts,  and  the  Greek 
language  must  have  been  familiar  at  the  king's   courts."     Op.  cil.,  p.  213. 

In  the  meanwhile  on  the  Mongolian  steppes  a  torrent  had  been  gathering 
its  forces  to  descend.  1  n  t  he  years  1 66 — 1 46  B.  C.  a  tribe  known  as  the  Yueh- 
chl  were  compelled  to  leave  their  lands  in  N.-W.  China  to  go  in  search  of  fresh 
pasture  grounds.  In  the  course  of  their  wanderings  drove  another  horde 
named  the  Sakas  southward.  In  tills  flood  of  barbarian  invasion  the  Gr?eco- 
Bactrian  kingdom,  already  weakened  by  the  gtowth  of  the  Parthian  or  Persian 
power,  disappeared  for  ever.     The  modern  Sistan  was  inundated  by  the  Sakas 


THE   MUSEUM.  197 

and  yet  the  stream  infiltrated  the  Indian  passes,  and  under  the  Persian  titles 
of  Satraps,  Saka  rulers  fixed  their  seats  at  Taxila  and  Mathura.  In  the 
course  of  time  pressure  of  population  sent  the  Yueh-chi  further  afield  to 
the  lands  of  the  Punjab.  Their  chief,  Kadphises  I,  made  himself  master  of 
Kashmir  and  Afghanistan,  eliminating  the  Indo-Greek  and  Indo-Parthiaa 
rulers.  After  a  disastrous  attempt  to  force  back  the  Chinese  advance  in  either 
Kashgar  or  Yarkand  (A.  D  94)  Kadphises  11  cariied  his  conquests  from  the 
Kabul  Valley  perhaps  as  far  south  as  Benares,  and  apparently  in  99  A.  D.  sent 
an  embassy  to  Rome  to  announce  his  conquest  of  N.-W.  India. 

The  Yueh-chi  conqueror  was  succeeded  by  Kanishka  of  the  Kushan  section 
of  that  nation.  "  He  has,"  writes  Mr.  Smith,  ' '  left  a  name  cherished  by  tradi- 
tion and  famous  far  beyond  the  limits  of  India.  His  name,  it  is  true,  is  un- 
known in  Europe,  save  to  a  few  students  of  unfamiliar  lore,  but  it  lives  in  the 
legends  of  Tibet,  Cliina,  Mongolia,  and  is  scarcely  less  significant  to  the  Bud- 
dhists of  those  lands  than  that  of  As  oka  himself."  Asoka  has  left  us  his 
religious  Apologia  pro  vila  sm  in  his  rock  edicts;  the  story  of  Kaniska's 
conversion — the  monastic  version  is  an  anaemic  reproduction  of  Asoka's — has 
to  be  traced  in  Kanishka's  coins  which  in  early  years  bears  effigies  of  the  sun 
and  moon  personified  as  Helios  and  Selene,  and  in  both  language  and  script  are 
Greek  ;  these  with  old  Persian  language  and  Greek  script,  represent  Greek, 
Persian,  and  Indian,  but  lastly  exhibit  the  Buddha  with  hia  name  inscribed  in 
Greek, 

To  assign  a  date  to  Kanishka's  reign  vWth  any  certainty  is  impossible.  Dr. 
Fleet  dates  Kanishka's  accession  57  B.  C,  while  other  learned  men  have 
quoted  the  year  278  A.  I).  Mr.  Smith,  on  numismatic  evidence,  infers  that 
the  second  great  monarch  of  Buddhism  was  a  contemporary  of  Hadrian 
and  Marcus  Aurelius,  and  came  to  the  throne  about  120  or  125  A.  D. 

The  art  of  Kanishka's  period  shows  that  Buddhism  has  passed  into  a  new 
stage  of  existence.  "The  new  Buddhism  of  his  day,"  writes  Mr.  Smith, 
■"designated  as  Mahayana  or  Great  Vehicle,  was  largely  of  foreign  origin,  and 
developed  as  the  result  of  the  complex  interaction  of  Indian,  Zoroastriaii, 
Christian,  Gnostic,  and  Hellenic  elements,  which  was  made  possible  by  the 
conquests  of  Alexander,  the  formation  of  the  Mauriya  empire  in  India,  and, 
above  all,  by  the  unification  of  the  P>oman  world  under  the  sway  of  the  earlier 
emperors.  In  this  new  Buddhism  the  sage  Gautama  became  in  practice,  if 
not  in  theory,  a  god,  with  his  ears  open  to  the  prayers  of  the  faithful,  and 
served  by  a  hierarchy  of  Bodliisattvas  and  other  beings  acting  as  mediators 
between  him  and  sinful  men.  Such  a  Buddha  rightly  took  a  place  among 
the  gods  of  the  nations  comprised  in  Kanishka's  widespread  empire,  and  the 
monarch  even  alter  his  conversion,'  probably  continued  to  honour  both  the 
old  and  the  new  gods,  as,  in  a  later  age,  Harsha  did  alternate  reverence  to 
Siva  and  Buddha."     Op.  cit.,  p.  233. 

The  second  of  the  Archseological  galleries  (occupying 
the  South-West  corner  of  the  Museum  Buildings)  contains  a 
number  of  beautiful  sculptures  and  fragments  of  this  cosmo- 
politan Grseco-Roman  period  of  Indian  art.  The  ex- 
hibits in  this  gallery,  we  believe,  were  mostly  brought  to 
Calcutta  from  the  Swat  Valley  by  the  late  Mr.  A.  E.  Caddy. 
In  the  centre  of  the  room  is  a  fine  miniature  stupa, 
with  incised  sculptures  of  the  miraculous  birth  of  the 
Buddha. 


198  GUIDE    TO    CALCUTTA. 

The  reader  will  not  fail  to  admire  the  fine  work  of  the 
bas-reliefs  arranged  round  the  room,  and  he  will  easily 
detect  the  remarkable  evidences  of  Hellenic  inspiration. 

In  the  early  Asoka  period,  as  we  have  noted,  the  Buddha 
is  only  symboUcally  represented — as,  for  instance,  by  a 
sacred  tree,  or  by  his  footsteps.  When  this  reverend  feeling 
of  reluctance  to  depict  the  great  one  had  passed  away,  the 
Buddhist  artists  seem  to  have  fixed  on  a  traditional  type, 
so  that  the  personal  appearance  of  Buddha  is  reproduced 
in  art  with  conservative  persistency.  The  statues  of  the 
Buddha  generally  represent  him  in  three  characteristic 
attitudes — with  hands  clasped  before  the  breast  (teaching), 
with  hands  interfolded  and  resting  on  sole  of  right  ftot 
(contemplating),  touching  the  earth  with  tips  of  fingers, 
while  the  left  lies  in  his  lap.  This  last  position  represent 
the  great  one  after  his  struggle  beneath  the  Bodlii  trees 
calling  the  earth  to  witness  his  great  renunciation.  He  is 
generally  represented  as  dressed  in  the  sanighati  or  vest- 
ment which  covers  the  body  of  a  Buddhist  monk,  reaching 
to  ankles,  and  leaving  only  the  neck  and  head  bare. 
Dr.  Bloch  argues  that  ''  whenever  we  find  a  Buddhist 
statue  which  has  the  right  shoulder  bare,  this  is  to  be  taken 
as  a  sign  that  the  statue  represents  not  a  Buddha,  but  a 
Bodhisatta."  At  the  time  of  the  struggle  beneath  the 
tree,  Gautama  was  a  Bodhisatta,  and  not  yet  a  Buddha. 
Passing  from  the  small  corner  room,  we  find  ourselves 
in  a  long  gallery  forming  the  south  boundary  of  the 
Museum.  On  our  right  are  a  series  of  recesses  containing 
(;(»llections  of  Buddhist  remains  from  various  places  iji 
India. 

In  the  first  recess  to  the  right — 

Mathura — On  the  right  bank  of  the  Jumna,  ."{5  miles  Nortli-West  of  Agru. 
The  Chinese  pilgrim,  Fa-Hien,  records  that  at  the  time  of  his  visit,  about 
401  A.  D.,  there  were  at  Mathura  20  Buddhist  monasteries  and  3,000  monks. 
On  either  aide— 

M.  1.     A  BacchauiJian  scene. 

M.  2.     Bases  of  ten  pillars  discovered  at  Mathura  in  1860. 
M.  3.     Fragment  of  a  pillar  of  a  Buddhist  railing.     On  the  front  face  a 
representation    of    the    future    Buddha  leaving  the  side  of  his 
pri/icess,  Yasodhara,  to  go  forth  as  an  ascetic. 
M.  4.     Vertical  half  of  a  Buddhist  railing — a  woman  standincr    on  the 

head  of  a  dwarf,  and  iega  i-rossed. 
AC-  5.      Buddha. — feet  wanting. 


I 


THE   MUSEUM.  199 

M.     6.  Pedestal  ot  a  Colossal  human  figure. 

M.     7.  A  slab  of  Mathura  stone.     Buddha  seated  before  a  cave  receiving 
a  prince,  who  has  just  alighted  from  his  elephant. 

JI.     S.  A  small  figure  of  Buddha. 

M.     9.  The  lower  two-thirds  of  an  erect  figure  of  a  woman. 

M.   10.     A  woman  seated  on  a  lion,  with  a  child  lying  across  her  left 
thigh. 

M.   1 1  and  1*?.     Fragments. 

M.   13.     An  erect  Buddha  in  attitude  of  teaching. 

M.  14.     A  full-sized  capital  of  red,  yellow-spotted  sandstone,  consisting 
of    four  animals,  all  with  human   heads  and  with    their  hair 
80  curved  round  their  ears  as  to  resemble  horns. 
In  the  second  recess  to  the  right — 

M.  15.     Pillars  of  a  Buddhist  raihug. 

A.  A  lady  performing  her  toilet  with  the   assistance  of    her  maid. 

That   the  dress  is    to   be  taken    for    granted    is    clear  from 
the  border  of  an  imaginary  covering  just  below  the  anklets. 
Another  face.     Three   panels  giving  scenes  forming  the  story  of 
attempt  to  destroy  Buddha  by  a  mad  elephant. 

B.  Figure  of  a  woman,  and  a  small  scene  above. 

Another  face.  Three  panels.  Lowest — Two  ogres  devouring  two 
human  beings.  Two  mothers  nursing  children :  A  gateway. 
Centre — A  flying  horse  with  two  children  on  its  back,  and  one  to 
right  fore  leg  and  one  to  the  right  hindleg.  Top — A  tower  in 
which  are  the  preceding  four  children,  and  a  man  trying  to  scale 
it  from  a  tree. 

C.  Figure  of  a  woman  holding  a  bunch  of  fruit  in  her    left    hand,  her 
right  on  her  girdle. 

Another  face — 3  panels.  Top. — A  Rajah  on  his  throne.  Centre — 
The  Rajah  seated  in  his  garden.     Bottom — much  defaced. 

-M.  1(5     A  slab  with  a  gigantic  human  foot-print. 

M.    17     Hercules  stranglinj;  the  NemsBan  lion.     In  March  188'?,   General 
Cunningham  found  this  group  at  Mathura  used  as  the  side  of  a  trough 
tor  watering  cattle. 
iSavatthi,  the  modern    Set-Mahet — on  the  Rapti  river,  between  Bahraich 
and  Gonda,  tlie  scene  of  many  episodes  in  the  life  of  Buddha. 

Si.  A.  A  slab  with  two  foot-impressions,  on  each  side  of  which  are  small 
sunken  panels. 

Si.  B.  A  colossal  statue.  Dr.  Bloch  in  a  paper  read  before  the  Asiatic 
.Society,  concludes  (1)  that  the  statue  was  erected  in  the  last  century 
B.  C,  or  the  first  century  A.  I).,  and  consequently  is  one  of  the  oldest 
Buddhist  images  found  in  India;  (*?)  that  it  represents  a  Bodhisatta 
and  not  a  Buddha.  It  was  presented  by  Lord  Elgin  in  March,  1863, 
to  the  Asiatic  Society. 

In  the  third  recess  to  the  right — 

Amravati — On  the  right  bank  of  the  Kistna  river. 

A.  1.     A  bas-relief  giving  the  story  of  Buddha's  birth. 

A.  9.     A  pillar  of  the  inner  rail  of   the  tope.     In  the  upper  portion  a 

wheel  surrounded  by  13  dwarfs. 
Th"  4th,  Bth,  6lh,  1th,  8ih,  and  9lh  recesses  on  the  right. 
Magadha — The  Kingdom  ot    Magadha,  the  classical  home  of  the  Buddha 

and   his    first  disciples,    correaponda   with  the    modern   Province  of 

Bch  r. 
The  tenth  recess  un  Ihc  nqkt. 
Java. 


200  GUIDE  TO   CALCUTTA. 

Passing  out  of  this  long  hall,  we  enter  a  smaller  one  de- 
scribed by  Dr.  Edwards  as  the  Inscription  Gallery.  Here 
we  find  a  very  miscellaneous  collection — mummies  from 
Egypt,  Armenian  tombstones  from  Behar,  and  a  number 
of  Mohammedan  inscriptions  from  Gaur  and  elsewhere. 
Returning  to  the  long  hall,  we  find  in  the  recesses  to  our 
left,  first  of  all  Brahmanical  sculptures  from  Java,  then 
a  recess  devoted  to  Jain  sculptures,  and  then  recesses 
fitted  with  Brahmanical  figures,  and  casts  from  ruined 
temples  from  the  city  of  Bhuvaneswar  in  Orissa. 

Hitherto,  we  have  been  paying  attention  to  Buddhist 
archaeology.  Before  turning  to  the  Brahinanic  and  Hindu 
monuments,  it  will  be  desirable  to  describe  as  briefly  as 
possible  the  various  stages  in  the  development  of  Indian 
religious  thought. 

Until  quite  recently  scholars — Max  Miiller  and  Hunter 
in  particular — have  held  that  the  religious  beliefs  of  the 
primitive  Aryan  folk  in  India  are  recorded  in  that  ancient 
work,  the  Rig  Veda.  Prof.  Rhys  Davids,  hovrever,  tells 
us  that  "outside  the  schools  of  the  priests  the  curious 
and  interesting  beliefs  had  practically  little  or  no  efiect." 
"  The  Vedic  thaumaturgy  and  theosophy  had  indeed 
never  been  a  popular  faith,  that  is,  as  we  know  it.  Both 
its  theological  hypotheses  and  its  practical  magic  (in  the 
ritual^  show  a  stage  very  much  advanced  beyond  the 
simpler  faith  which  they,  in  fact,  pre-suppose." 

1.  Animism.  The  first  stage  of  Indo-Ai-yan  religion  is  a  popular  ani- 
mism, far  grosser  than  the  superstitions  of  the  Veda.  One  of  the  oldest 
deities  of  the  non-Vedic  pantheon  for  instance,  is  the  goddess  of  luck,  Siri  oi' 
Sri.  She  will  be  found  sculptured  as  Sirima  Devata,  on  one  of  the  pillars  of 
Barahut  railing.  On  the  rear  of  t)ae  northern  gate  of  the  Sanchi  tope,  there 
is  a  panel  representing  her  seated  between  two  elephants  who  are  pouring 
water  over  her  head.  At  the  present  day  she  lives  in  modern  Hinduism 
as  Lakshmi,  the  consort  of  Vishnu.  The  Barahut  railings  exhibit  in  full 
detail  the  animistic  superstitions  of  the  people  which  failing,  to  conquer,  or 
reluctantly  to  attack,  the  more  advanced  teachers  gave  place  to  in  their 
systems.  "The  object  was  to  reconcile  the  people  to  different  ideas.  The 
actual  consequence  was  that  the  ideas  of  the  people,  thus  admitted,  as  it 
were  by  the  back  door,  filled  the  whole  mansion,  and  the  ideas  it  was  hoped 
they  would  accept  were  turned  out  into  the  desert,  there  ultimately  to  jiass 
away."  Hence  on  the  Barahut  railings  we  note  the  Nagar  deities  and 
the  Garulas — half  men  and  half  birds,  etc. 

2.  Vedism.  (Vid  =  to  know :  Veda  —  knowledge).  The  priestly 
attempt  to  refine  and,  so  to  speak,   to  re-edict   the   popular    beliefs  in  the 


THE  MUSEUM. 


201 


interests  of   a   more   refined  faith.     In  the  forefront  we  meet  with  a  triad 
of  deities  : 

The  fire-god— the  earth-born  Agni. 

The  rain -god — the  air-born  Indra. 

The  sun-god— the  sky-born  Surya  or  Sa^^t^i. 

•■All  their  other  principal  deities  were  either  modifications  of,  or  associated 
with,  one  or  other  of  the  members  of  this  Vedic  triad.  For  example  the 
wind  (Vava)  and  the  storm-gods  (Maruts),  led  by  the  destroying  god  (Kudra), 
were  regarded  as  intimate  associates  of  the  rain-god  Indra,  and  were  really 
onlv  forms  and  modifications  of  that  god.  On  the  other  hand,  Aryan  deities. 
Varuna  and  Mitra,  with  Vishnu,  were  all  mere  forms  of  the  Sun  (Surya  or 
Savitri,  also  called  Pushan).  Of  course  the  Dunn  (Ushas)  was  also  connectea 
\vith  the  Sun,  and  two  other  deities,  the  Asvins— probably  personifications  oi 
two  luminous  points  in  the  sky— were  fabled  as  his  two  sons,  ever  young  and 
handsome,  travelling  in  a  golden  car  as  precursors  of  the  dawn. 

■  -The  early  religion  of  the  Indo-Aryans  was  a  development  of  a  still  earlier 
belief  in  man's  subjection  to  the  powers  of  nature  and  his  need  of  concihating 
them.  It  was  an  unsettled  system  which,  according  to  one  view,  assigned  all 
the  phenomena  of  the  universe  to  one  cause ;  or  again,  attributed  to  them  to 
several  causes  operating  independently;  or  again  supposed  the  whole  visible 
creation  to  be  a  manifestation  of  one  universal  all-pervading  spirit.  It  was 
a  behef,  which,  according  to  the  character  of  the  worshipper,  was  now  mere 
animism,  now  monotheism,  now  tritheism,  now  polytheism,  now  pantheism. 
But  it  was  not  yet  idolatry."  Monier  Williams  :  Brahrmnism  and  Hinduism, 
pp.  9,  11.  I,        •  ^ 

3.  Brahmanism.  From  the  personification  of  natural  forces,  the  mina 
turns  to  the  thought  of  the  Breath  of  Life  (atman)  expanding  itself  through 
space,  and,  although  beyond  the  cognizance  of  sense,  yet  permeating  ^firougli 
and  vivifjing  all  things.  This  is  Brahma  (nom.  neut.)  from  the  root  brith, 
to  expand.'     Sir  W.  Monnier  traces  four  phrases  of  Brahmamsni : 

1.  Ritualistic.  Ceremonial  acts  of  sacrifice  presided  over  by  Bralunans 
win  admission  for  the  worshipper  to  Indi-a's  heaven.  Even  the  gods  them- 
selves attained  their  immortality  bv  sacrifice.  Men  may  also  become  im- 
mortal, but  they  must  first  offer  their  bodies  to  Death  as  a  sacrifice.  Ihis 
phase  is  represented  in  literature  by  the  Brahmanas— treatises  added  to  the 
.Mantras  or  Hymn  portion  of  each  Veda. 

2.  Philosophical.  In  re-action  from  an  over-elaborated  ritual  this  phase 
is  represented  by  the  writings  known  as  the  Upanishads.  Here  we  have  a 
behef  in  one  all-pervading  God  who  is  the  constituent  essence  of  every  human 
personahtv.  By  association  with  eternal  Ignorance  and  Illusion  (Maya),  the 
impersonal  Spirit  becomes  the  personal  God  (Paramesvara)  of  the  world, 
Personality  is  the  comedy  of  human  existence.  God  and  man  mistake  their 
individualities  for  realities  "just  as  a  rope  in  a  dark  night  might  be  mistaken 
for  a  snake."  When  rid  of  the  illusion  that  we  are  personahties  Brahma 
is  reached.  Viewed  in  relation  to  his  activities  the  one  Umversal  Spirit,  when 
dominated  by  Activity  is  Brahma  the  creator,  by  goodness  Vishnu,  the  pre- 
server, bv  Indifferences,  Rudra  the  Dissolver. 

3.  Mythological  or  Polytheistic.  Represented  in  Uterature  by  the  ep»cs— 
the  Maha-bharata  and  Kamayana,  and  in  later  times  by  the  Puranas.  Bud- 
dhism and  Philosophical  Brahmanism  are  alike  re-actions  from  ceremonial 
religion,  but  the  blank  the  Buddhist  substituted  for  God,  and  the  frigid 
pantheism  of  the  Brahmin  rendered  both  systems  unsuited  to  the  masses  of 
men.  To  meet  the  need  of  devotion  (bhakti)  to  personal  gods,  the 
Brahraans  made  use  of  existing  mythologies  and  local  legends.  Brahma 
(neut.  nom),  the  Universal    Spirit,    can    only    be    worshipped  by    internal 


202  GUIDE    To    CALCUTTA. 

meditatiou,  but  Brahma,  the  personal  product  of  the  purely  spiritual 
Brahma  when  overshadowed  by  Illusion,  could  become  a  popular  primeval 
male  god.  Li  alUanco  with  Vishnu,  the  preserver,  and  Rudra-Siva,  the 
dissolver,  and  reproducer  Brahma,  is  the  first  of  the  Hindu  triad— the 
Tri-murti.  Each  of  these  gods  has  his  spouse.  Sarasvati,  the  goddess  of 
wisdom  and  science,  a  fair  young  woman  with  four  arms,  is  the  wife  of 
Brahma.  Lakshmi  or  Sri  is  the  wife  of  Vishnu.  Parvati  is  the  wife  of 
Siva.  Ganesa  (the  elcphaiit-headcd  and  four-armed  god  of  wisdom),  and 
Kartikiya,  the  war  gotl,  arc  sons  of  Siva.  The  gods  have  material  bodies,  but 
of  an  ethereal  character. 

The  need  for  a  mythology  was  also  met  bj'  portions  of  the  re-incarnations 
of  Vishnu's  essence  in  Krishna,  and  Rama,  and  other  popular  heroes.  Jugan- 
nath,  so  familiar  to  English  readers  by  the  tales  told  of  his  car  at  Pun,  is  in 
tradition  an  appearance  of  Vishnu  himself,  but  is  perhaps  in  origin  a  local  god 
who  has  successfully  invaded  the  jiantheon  of  the  orthodox. 

4.  Hinduism.  The  leading  feature  is  that  it  subordinates  tlie  worship  of 
the  Spirit  Brahma  or  its  first  manifestation  Brahma  to  that  of  either  Vishnu 
or  Siva,  or  their  wives  or  particular  forms.  Of  the  worship  of  Siva  and  Kali 
something  will  be  said  in  our  chapter  on  Kalighat.  "What  is  styled  Hin- 
duism." \vrites  Mr.  W.  E.  Slater,  "is  a  vague  eclecticism,  the  amalgam  of 
all  the  religious  ideas  and  usages  of  the  past;  the  sum  total  of  manifold  shades 
of  belief,  and  still  more,  in  the  present  day,  of  rigid  caste  laws  and  accumulated 
customs,  for  its  one  changeless  feature  is  its  social  order,  and  wherever  caste 
is,  Hinduism  exists.  AVc  cannot  properly  speak  of  the  religion  of  India  any 
more  than  we  can  speak  of  India  as  a  country.  It  is  not  a  political  name,  but 
only  a  geographical  expression,  marking  the  territory  of  many  nations  and 
languages.  So  almost  every  phiase  of  religious  thought  and  philosophical 
speculation  has  been  represented  in  India."  Higher  Himhaxm  in  Rela- 
tion to  Christ innity. 

On  leaving  the  long  architectural  gallery,  we  pass 
to  the  left  into  the  gallery  containing  what,  from  the 
Natural  History  point  of  view,  may  well  be  described  as 
the  pride  of  the  Indian  Museum — its  splendid  collection 
of  invertebrates.  Wo  pass  from  ancient  philosophical 
speculations  as  to  the  origin  and  meaning  of  life  to  the  mod- 
ern scientist's  analysis  of  its  processes.  For  some  years  past 
the  Museum  has  had  the  good  fortune  to  have  its  Superin- 
tendent one  of  the  most  learned  of  Marine  Zoologists — 
Major  A.  Alcock,  ll.d.,  f.r.s.,  i.m.s.  Under  his  able 
administration,  this  wealthy  collection  has  been  most  ad- 
mirably arranged,  and  the  specimens  are  so  clearly  indi- 
cated by  labels  that  even  the  merest  laymen  in  mat- 
ters biological  cannot  fail  to  be  inspired  with  an  interest 
in  what  he  might  perhaps  have  been  inclined  to  regard  as 
a  very  dull  subject.  Major  Alcock  was  for  some  years  the 
Surgeon  Naturalist  on  board  the  Investigator  of  the  Marine 
Survey  of  India,  and  those  who  have  read  his  fascinating 
book,  A  Naturalist  hi  Indian  S'^as,  will  be  able  to  spend 


THE   MUSEUM.  203 

some  time  in  this  gallery  with  the  greatest  profit.  The 
reader  who  is  almost  entirely  ignorant  of  the  subject  will  be 
startled  to  find  that  what  he  would  have  with  certainty 
regarded  as  sea-weeds  are  in  reality  animals.  The 
reader  would  do  well  to  ponder  on  the  wonderful  protec- 
tive colouring  of  some  of  the  specimens. 

After  leaving  the  Gallery  of  Invertebrates,  we  enter  the 
gallery  to  our  left  and  find  ourselves  in  the  Mineralogical 
and  Fossil  Galleries,  and  walking  through  these  we  find 
ourselves  once  more  at  the  entrance  hall.  Arranged  along 
the  cloisters  which  run  round  the  lower  galleries  are 
many  archaeological  monuments  of  interest.  We  ascend  the 
broad  flight  of  stairs  and  reach  the  upper  floor.  On  the 
landing  there  is  a  white  marble  statue  of  the  late  Queen 
Empress  by  M.  Wood — the  gift  of  Mahatab  Chund  Baha- 
dur, Maharaja  of  Burdwan.  The  pedestal  was  the  gift 
of  his  son. 

Behind  the  statue  is  the  entrance  to  a  series  of  three 
rooms  now  occupied  by  the  collection  which  is  ultimately  to 
find  its  home  in  the  Victoria  Memorial  Hall.  The  room  to 
the  left  (South)  contains  an  interesting  collection  of  State 
pictures  on  its  eastern  wall,  and  a  collection  of  engrav- 
ings of  great  English  heroes  in  India  on  its  western  wall. 
At  the  south  end  is  the  favourite  writing  desk  and  chair 
of  the  late  Queen-Empress — King  Edward's  personal  gift 
to  the  Memorial  Hall.  In  the  central  room  will  be  found 
the  masnud  or  throne  of  the  Nawabs  of  Murshidabad,  a 
splendid  model  of  the  Old  Fort  and  St.  Anne's  Church 
executed  under  the  guidance  of  the  late  Mr.  C.  R.  Wilson, 
a  large  number  of  engravings  of  Old  Calcutta,  some  of 
the  best  portraits  from  the  High  Court,  the  Town  Hall 
and  Asiatic  Society,  a  collection  of  rehcs  of  the  Delhi 
Coronation  Durbar,  and  a  complete  collectioji  of  British 
Indian  jewels  and  badges  of  distinction.  The  room  to  the 
right  (North)  contains  a  collection  of  Indian  arms,  the 
originals  of  many  important  State  documents,  and  the 
cloth  of  gold  screens  which  AU  Verdi  Khan  captured 
from  the  Maharattas  and  a  number  of  magnificently 
illuminated  copies  of  the  Koran.  It  would  be  prema- 
ture to  attempt  to  describe  this  magnificent  collection  in 
detail.     Many  of  the  exhibits  have  recently  been  brought 


204  GUIDE  TO   CALCUTTA. 

from  various  public  buildings  in  Calcutta,  and  have 
been  mentioned  elsewhere.  To  the  patriotic  liberality 
of  the  present  Nawab  of  Murshidabad  the  collection, 
formed  under  Lord  Curzon's  direct  personal  superintendence, 
is  most  deeply  indebted. 

Passing  along  the  South-West  corridor,  we  find  to  our 
left  the  collection  of  birds.  The  gallery  on  the  eastern 
side,  devoted  to  the  larger  mammals,  is  the  most  interest- 
ing one  from  the  point  of  view  of  the  native  sightseer. 
To  the  north  of  it  is  a  small  room  containing  specimens 
of  the  smaller  mammals.  Passing  through  this  and  ascend- 
ing a  small  stairway  leading  into  a  red  brick  building  we 
enter  the  Art  Gallery. 

Walking  to  the  back  of  the  throne  at  the  entrance 
the  visitor  will  come  upon  a  large  central  show-case  wherein 
on  one  side  is  displayed  the  beautiful  ceramic  wares  of 
India  and  Burma,  and  on  the  other,  the  embroideries  from 
Bombay,  Madras,  Rajputana,  Punjab  and  the  United 
Provinces.  Right  round  this  Court  or  Gallery,  hning  the 
walls,  are  displayed  the  plain,  coloured,  stamped  and  hand- 
painted  fabrics  of  India,  together  with  those  lovely  examples 
of  kinkhobs  for  which  Benares  has  become  so  famous. 

From  this  Court  the  visitor  enters  a  room  which  is 
assigned  to  metals.  In  here  we  have  gold  and  silver 
ware,  as  well  as  plain  and  mixed  metals.  This  room 
looks  into  another  in  which  are  shown  the  carpets 
and  rugs  from  the  Punjab,  Mirzapore  and  Bikanir.  Here 
are  displayed  all  the  art  manufactures  of  India.  The 
visitor  on  entering  will  find  the  marble  and  stone  carv- 
ings of  Jaipur  and  Agra  on  his  right  and  left,  together  with 
a  beautifully  carved  screen  from  the  latter  place.  He  will 
also  see  the  lac  wares  of  Burma,  Bombay,  the  United  Pro- 
vinces of  Agra  and  Oudh  and  the  wood-carvings  fromPesh- 
awar,  Nagpur,  Nepal,  Bombay,  Saharanpur,  Madras  and 
Burma.  Then  on  his  right  will  be  seen  a  portion  of  a  house 
front  from  Bhavnagar  richly  and  elaborately  carved,  and 
right  in  the  very  middle  of  the  Court  the  Hlutdaw  or  Coun- 
cil House  Throne  of  Thebaw,  King  of  Burma,  1878  to  1885. 
This  throne  is  one  of  the  seven  similar  thrones  at  Manda- 
lay  whence  it  was  removed  in  a  state  of  dilapidation  and 
presented  to  this  Museum  by  His  Excellency  Lord  Curzon. 


THE   MUSEUM.  205 

Returning  from  the  art  collections,  we  find  to  our  right 
as  we  pass  along  the  northern  upper  corridor  the  paljeon  to- 
logical  collections.  Descending  again  to  the  lower  court, 
we  must  pass  round  the  northern  lower  corridor,  and 
enter  the  rooms  immediately  beneath  the  Art  Galleries. 
Here  we  find  a  most  interesting  collection  illustrating  the 
Ethnology  of  India — hfe-sized  models  of  Indian  tribesmen, 
models  of  houses  and  villages,  of  the  burning  ghat  of 
Calcutta,  a  Bengal  marriage  ceremony,  and  toys,  agricul- 
tural instruments,  boats,  fishing  tackle,  musical  instru- 
ments, weapons,  wearing  apparel,  etc.,  etc. 

It  is  understood  that  a  scheme  has  been  originated  by 
Lord  Curzon  for  adding  greatly  to  the  buildings  of  the 
Museum  and  for  entirely  rearranging  their  contents  The 
money  has  been  found  by  the  Government  of  India, 
but  it  is  anticipated  that  it  will  be  some  years  before  the 
new  arrangements  ai-e  completed.  It  is  proposed  to  pull 
down  the  galleries  in  which  the  School  of  Art  exhibitions 
are  at  present  accommodated  and  to  extend  the  fac^ade  of 
the  Museum  in  a  southerly  direction  so  as  to  constitute, 
with  the  School  of  Art  and  the  existing  Museum,  a  second 
quadrangle,  with  a  separate  entrance  from  Chowringhi. 
The  collections  now  in  the  Museum,  which  are  exceedingly 
cramped,  will  then  be  rearranged,  and  the  Art  Ethnological 
collections,  which  exceed  in  popular  interest  anything  in 
the  main  body  of  the  Museum,  but  are  apt  to  escape  notice 
owing  to  their  remote  locations,  will  be  transferred  to 
some  of  the  main  galleries  overlooking  the  Maidan,  where 
they  will  be  more  easily  accessible  to  the  public.  In  this 
way,  too,  scope  will  be  given  for  an  expansion  of  the 
more  important  contents  of  the  Museum  which  is  now 
impossible. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 
Kalighat. 

In  a  previous  chapter  some  account  has  been  given  of 
the  development  of  Hinduism  from  Animism,  through 
various  stages  of  Brahmanism,  through  Pantheism,  to 
Polytheism.  In  a  sense,  the  later  stages  in  the  develop- 
ment may  be  said  to  lie  in  the  earlier  as  the  oak 
lies  in  the  acorn :  but  the  truth  of  the  analogy  Ues 
ill  this,  that  the  oak  Ues  in  what  the  acorn  will 
attract  to  it  in  the  course  of  its  expansion  even 
more  than  in  that  which  is  in  the  acorn.  Brahmanism 
may  be  the  seed  of  Hinduism,  but  in  the  growth  and 
expansion  of  the  seed  it  has  absorbed  elements  aUen  to 
its  original  contents.  The  shrine  we  are  about  to  visit 
is  perhaps  the  most  striking  instance  of  the  incorpora- 
tion of  the  fetish  and  terror  worship  of  the  non-Aryan 
races  in  the  number  of  the  various  cults  Sanctioned  by 
the  Brahmans. 

The  human  imagination  has,  perhaps,  never  created  a 
more  terrible  figure  than  that  of  the  black  KaU,  the  wife 
of  Siva,  the  all-destroyer  and  all-reproducer.  She  is  black 
biit  certainly  not  comely.  Like  her  lord,  she  has  a  third 
eye.  Her  tongue  hangs  far  below  her  hps  as  if  protruded 
to  lick  up  the  blood  of  her  victims.  For  earrings  she  wears 
on  either  ear  a  suspended  corpse,  round  her  neck  is  a  chap- 
let  of  skulls,  her  clothing  is  hands  of  the  slain,  and  in 
one  of  her  four  hands  is  the  head  of  a  giant.  Beneath 
her  feet  Ues  the  prostrate  body  of  her  husband  Siva. 
Such  is  the  goddess  worshipped  at  KaUghat. 

The  Siva  worship  so  predominant  in  Bengal  looks  to  the 
ninth  century  teacher,  Sankara,  as  its  exponent. 

■  In  the  hapil  of  Sankara' 8  followers  aad  apoatolic  successois,  Siva-wor- 
ship  became  one  of  the  two  chief  religions  of  India.     As  at  ovne  the  Destroyer 


KAMGHAT.  207 

and  Reproducer,  Siva  represented  profound  rlnlosophieal  doi-tiiues,  and  was 
early  recognised  as  b°iiig  in  a  special  sense  the  god  oi  the  Brahmans.  To 
them  he  was  the  symbol  of  death  as  merely  .1  change  of  life.  On  the  other 
hand,  his  terrible  aspects,  preset  ved  in  liis  long  list  of  namei  from  the  Roarer 
(Rudra)  of  the  Veda  to  the  Dread  One  (Bhinia)  of  the  modern  Hindu  Pantheon, 
well  adapted  him  to  the  religio:!  of  fear  and  pio))itiation  prevalent  among  the 
ruder  non-Aryan  races.  Siva,  in  his  two-fold  eliaraiter,  thus  becomes  the 
deity  alikt-  of  the  highest  and  of  tiic  lowest  castes.  He  is  the  Mahadeva  or 
the  Great  God  of  modern  Hiuduis.ii ;  and  lis  wife  is  Devi,  pre-eminently  the 
goddess.  His  universal  symbol  is  the  linga,  a  fetish  emblem  of  leproduction, 
his  sacred  beast,  i  the  bull,  connected  with  the  same  idea;  a  trident  tops  his 
temples.  His  images  partake  of  his  double  nature.  The  Bralimauioal  concep- 
tion 18  represented  by  his  attitude  as  a  fair-skinned  man,  seated  in  profound 
thought,  the  symbol  of  the  fertilizing  Ganges  above  his  head,  and  the  bull 
(emblem  aliKc  of  procreation  and  of  Aryan  plough-tillage)  near  it  hand.  The 
wilder  non-Aryan  aspects  of  his  character  are  signified  by  his  necklace  of 
skulls,  his  collar  of  twining  serjieiits,  his  tiger-skin,  and  his  club  with  a  human 
head  at  the  end.  His  five  faces  and  iour  arms  have  also  their  significance. 
His  wife,  in  like  manner,  appears  in  hei'  Aryan  form  as  Uma,  Light',  the  type 
of  high  born  loveliness:  in  her eompositechniacter as  Durga,  a  golden-coloured 
uonian,  beautiful  but  menacing,  riding  on  a  tiger;  and  in  her  terrible  non- 
Aiyan  aspects,  as  Kali,  a  black  fury,  of  a  hideous  countenance,  dripping  with 

blood,  crowned  with  snakes,  and  hung  round  with  skulls Siva -worship 

preserves  in  an  even  more  striking  way  tlie  traces  of  its  double  origin. 
The  higher  minds  still  adore  the  godhead  by  silent  contemplation,  as 
presented  by  Sankara,  without  the  aicl  of  external  rites.  The  ordinaiy  Brah- 
man hangs  a  wreath  of  flowers  about  the  phallic  linga.  or  places  before  it 
harmless  offerings  of  rice.  But  the  low-castes  pour  out  the  lives  of  countless 
\"ictims  at  the  feet  of  the  terrible  Kali,  and  until  lately,  in  the  time  of  pesti- 
lence and  famine,  tried  in  their  despair  to  appease  the  relentless  goddess  by 
human  blood.  During  the  famine  of  1860,  in  a  temple  to  Kali  within  100  miles 
of  Calcutta,  a  boy  was  found  with  his  neck  cut,  the  eyes  staring  open,  and  the 
stiff  clotted  tongue  thrust  out  between  the  teeth.  In  another  case  at  Hughli 
(a  railway  station  only  twenty-five  miles  from  Calcutta)  the  head  was  left 
before  the  idol,  decked  with  flowers.  Such  cases  are  true  survivals  of  the 
regular  system  of  human  sacrifices  which  we  have  seen  among  the  non-Aryan 
tribes.  They  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  old  mystic.  pitrusha-Imcdha  or 
man-offering,  whether  real  or  symbolical,  of  the  ancient  Aryan  faith,  but 
form  an  essential  part  of  the  non-Arj-an  religion  of  terror,  which  demands 
that  the  greater  the  need,  the  greater  shall  be  the  propitiation.  Such  sacrifices 
are  now  forbidden,  alike  by  the  Hindu  custom  and  English  laM."  Hunter  : 
Imperial  Gazetteer  of  India',     Vol.  IV ,   pp.  300—302. 

It  may  perhaps  come  as  somewhat  of  a  shock  to  Euro- 
peans who  have  entertained  the  recent  craze  for  esoteric 
Buddhism  to  learn  that  between  the  Buddhism  of  ancient 
Bengal  and  Southern  India  and  Siva-worship  there  is  a 
historic  connection.  Wherever  Buddhist  relics  are  most 
plentifully  found  in  the  western  districts  of  LoAver  Bengal 
there  the  worship  of  Siva  is  paramount.  It  would  seem  to 
have  been  the  fact  that  Buddhism  as  a  negative  creed 
won  easy  victories  among  the  semi-aboriginal  peoples  of 
Lower  Bengal  ;   the  Buddhist  kings  standing  between  the 


t 


208  GUIDE  TO  CALCUTTA. 

people  and  the  caste-oppression  of  the  Brahmins.  How 
tolerant  popular  Buddhism  could  be  of  the  old  sun  and 
serpent-worship  the  sculptures  of  the  Barahut  Stupa  well 
show.  In  the  course  of  time  Buddhism  became  merely 
monastic,  and  Brahmanism  having  learned  a  lesson 
in  toleration,  steadily  regained  lost  ground,  by  placing  in 
the  background  the  spiritual  side  of  the  Sanskrit  faith,  and 
spreading  the  cult  and  bloody  rites  of  Siva  or  Rudra,  so 
well  beloved  of  the  aboriginals. 

The  legend  of  KaUghat  has  been  told  in  the  introduc- 
tory chapter  to  the  present  work.  The  origin  of  the  shrine 
is  lost  in  obscurity.  As  the  site  of  the  jungle  worship 
of  aboriginal  fishermen,  hunters,  wood-cutters,  etc.,  its 
antiquity  may  be  immense.  In  the  time  when  Adisur 
(between  700 — 900  A.  D.)  reigned  in  Bengal  the  place 
could  have  been  of  no  importance  in  the  eyes  of  orthodox 
Hindus,  if,  indeed,  its  site  had  then  risen  above  the  tidal 
swamp.  In  the  time  of  Vallala  Sen  of  Gaur,  the  Tantric 
rites  were  coming  into  use  among  the  Brahmins,  and,  in 
his  reign,  the  Kalikshetra,  or  Field  of  KaU,  a  triangular 
island  Ijang  between  Dakhineswar  on  the  North  and  Behala 
on  the  South,  is  said  to  have  been  presented  by  the  king  to 
a  Brahmin  family.  Kalighat  and  its  goddess  are  but 
barely  mentioned  in  BengaU  poems  in  the  15th  and  16th 
centuries.  The  firm  hand  of  the  early  Mahomedan 
rulers  no  doubt  served  to  compel  the  Brahmins  to  fortify 
their  position  in  out-of-the-way  places  by  an  encour- 
agement of  the  aboriginal  cults  favoured  by  the  Tantras. 
So  Kalighat  comes  into  fame  about  the  beginning  of  the 
eighteenth  century. 

During  the  reign  of  the  great  Mogul  Emperor  Akbar, 
three  Tantric  Hindus  came  into  prominence  in  our  part  of 
Bengal  :  to  wit  (1)  Bhalurda,  the  founder  of  the  Nadia 
Rajas  ;  Lakshmikanta,  the  ancestor  of  the  Savana  Chan- 
dur  ;  Jayganarda,  the  founder  of  the  Bansberia  family. 
According  to  tradition,  the  famous  idol  Kali,  was  the  pro- 
perty of  one  of  Lakshmikanta 's  ancestors  :  to-day  it  is  the 
property  of  his  descendants  who  are  now  known  as  the 
Haldar  family. 

The  almost  proverbial  inability  of  Orientals  to  preserve 
anything  approaching  to  an  historical   account  of  their 


KALIGHAT.  209 

past  is  perhaps  nowhere  better  instanced  than  by  Raja 
Binaya  Krishna  Deb's  recent  work  on  the  early  history 
and  growth  of  Calcutta.  Wherever  our  Hindu  Guru  has 
European  records  to  fall  back  on  he  is  excellent,  but  just 
where  we  should  have  expected  a  Hindu  writer  to  help 
us  most,  he  fails  us.  His  account  of  Kalighat  is  derived 
mainly  from  a  work  written  nearly  a  century  of  years  age 
by  -an  enthusiastic  Baptist  Missionary  at  Serampore. 
According  to  Mr.  Ward,  the  Missionary  under  contribution, 
not  only  superstitious  European  ladies,  but  the  Govern- 
ment itself,  were  wont  to  do  puja  to  Kali  at  Kalighat. 
"Last  week,"  writes  Ward,  "a  deputation  from  the  Gov- 
ernment went  in  procession  to  Kalighat  and  made  a  thank- 
offering  to  this  goddess  of  the  Hindus  in  the  name  of 
the  Company  for  the  success  which  the  Enghsh  have 
lately  obtained  in  this  country.  Five  thousand  rupees 
were  offered.  Several  thousand  natives  witnessed  the 
Enghsh  presenting  their  offerings  to  this  idol." 

One  has  only  to  recall  the  names  of  the  actual  rulers 
in  Bengal  at  the  time,  and  the  whole  legend  appears  in 
its  true  light.  Yarns  of  this  kind  are  very  easily  spun 
and  very  easily  credited  by  those  who  are,  as  Ward  was, 
"agin  the  Government." 

The  proprietors  of  the  image  at  Kalighat  are,  of  course, 
enormously  wealthy.  It  has  been  adorned  with  untold 
wealth  in  gold  and  jewels  by  great  Hindu  potentates 
who  have  visited  the  shrine  from  all  parts  of  India. 

The  Temple  itself  is  squaHd  in  the  extreme  and  absolute- 
ly devoid  of  architectural  merit.  On  sacrificial  days  the 
Courts  flow  with  the  blood  of  the  victims,  and  the  visitor 
must  be  cautious  where  he  places  his  feet.  In  addition 
to  the  central  shrine,  there  are  some  other  Hindu  shrines 
and  a  sacred  tree  of  importance. 

If  the  reader  has  not  gone  to  Kalighat  by  tram,  but  has 
a  carriage  in  readiness,  he  will  perhaps  drive  on  to  the 
Tollygunge  Club,  or  regaining  the  Russa  Road  turn  to  the 
right,  and  crossing  the  bridge,  return  to  Calcutta  through 
AJ^pore.  To  his  left  in  the  Shahpore  Road  he  will  pass 
the  house  of  Tipoo  Sultan's  descendants. 


F,  GC  14 


PART  II. 

CHAPTER   I. 
River  Trip  No.  1.     Serampore  and  Barrackpore. 

This  morning  we  have  to  be  up  betimes  to  catch  the 
steamer  which  leaves  Hatkola  Ghat  for  Hughly  at  7-30 
a.m.  We  must  take  with  us  our  breakfast  and  tiffin  : 
the  former  we  shall  be  able  to  have  served  on  board  : 
the  latter  we  shall  eat  under  the  shadow  of  some  spread- 
ing tree  at  Barrackpore.  There  is,  however,  a  good 
Hotel  at  Barrackpore  (the  Charnock)  close  to  the  Railway 
Station,  where,  if  we  prefer  to  sit  under  a  punkah  to  ward 
off  the  flies — the  curse  of  Barrackpore — we  may  get 
tiffin  and  save  ourselves  some  trouble  in  the  matter  of 
transport. 

Close  to  Hatkola  Ghat  is  the  Nimtola  Ghat — the  burn- 
ing place  of  the  Hindu  dead.  Nimtola  is,  of  course, 
the  tala  or  shade  of  the  Nim  tree.  Our  attention  this 
morning  will  be  devoted  to  the  bank  on  our  left  as  we 
proceed  up  the  river.  First  we  see  the  village  of  Sul- 
kea,  described  by  Marshman  in  1845,  as  '  'the  Southwark 
of  Calcutta."  A  dock  at  Sulkea  was  first  established 
by  Mr.   Bacon  in   1796. 

"Sulkea,  a  densely  populated  suburb,  containing  73,446  inhabitants,  inl835 
formed  the  terminus  of  the  Benares  Road,  which,  by  its  narrowness  and  rough- 
ness, reminds  us  of  the  difficulties  dak  travellers  must  have  met  within  former 
days.  It  was  a  common  practice,  however,  formerly  when  travellers  were 
few,  for  Englishmen  to  send  to  the  zemindars  along  the  road  for  supplies  of 
bearers  and  food  :  the  zemindars  supplied  them,  but  quietly  indemnified 
themselves  by  debiting  to  the  expenses  of  the  revenue  collection,  or  else  making 
the  ryals  pay  for  it.  It  was  not  until  1765  that  a  regular  d&k  was  est^ablished 
and  that  only  between  Calcutta  and  Murshidabad ;  and  for  a  long  period  after 
that,  travellers  had  no  bungalows,  but  were  obliged  to  send  two  seta  of  tents 
on  before  them." 


212  GUIDE    TO    CALCUTTA. 

After  passing  a  long  row  of  red  factory  buildings,  one 
sees,  lying  behind  a  broad  patch  of  maidan  recovered 
from  the  river,  the  old  white  house  where  for  many 
years  John  Stalkart  of  Ghoosery  kept  open  house  to  his 
many  friends.  His  beautiful  gardens  and  fernery 
are  still  preserved  with  loving  care.  We  soon  come  in 
sight  of  Hindu  temples. 

"The  river  banks  are  covered  with  fruit  trees  and  villages,  with  many  veij 
handsome  pagodas,  of  which  buildings  Calcutta  only  offers  some  small,  mean. 
and  neglected  specimens.  The  general  style  of  these  buildings  is,  a  laigi- 
square  court,  sometimes  merely  surrounded  by  a  low  wall,  with  bold  balus- 
trades, pilastered  as  so  to  resemble  stone,  or  indented  at  the  top,  with  two  or 
sometimes  four  towers  at  the  angles,  generally,  in  the  present  day,  of  Greecian 
jurchitecture,  and  ornament  with  pilasters,  balustrades,  and  fieizes.  In  the 
centre  of  the  principal  front,  is,  for  the  most  part,  an  entrance  resembling  in 
its  general  character,  and  style  of  arrangement,  the  hea.utii\i\  Propylmum  at 
Chester  Castle.  When  the  pagoda  adjoins  the  river  a  noble  flight  of  steps,  the 
whole  breadth  of  the  portico,  generally  leads  from  the  water  to  this  entrance. 
Sometimes  the  whole  court  is  surrounded  by  a  number  of  square  towers,  de- 
tached by  a  small  interval  from  each  other,  and  looking  not  milike  tea-canis- 
ters, having  such  a  propylaeum  as  I  have  described  in  the  centre  of  the  prin- 
cipal part.  In  the  middle  of  the  quadrangle,  or  in  the  least  in  the  middle  of 
one  of  its  sides,  opposite  to  the  main  entrance,  is  the  temple  of  the  principal 
deity,  sometimes  octagonal,  with  pinnacles  and  buttresses,  greatly  resembling 
a  Gothic  Chapter  House,  but  in  some  instances  taller  and  larger,  with  three 
domes,  one  large  in  the  centre,  and  a  smaller  at  each  side,  with  the  gilded 
ornaments  on  the  summit  of  each,  extremely  like  the  old  churches  in  Russia. 
All  these  buildings  are  vaulted  with  brick,  and  the  manner  in  which  Hindus 
raise  their  square  or  oblong  domes  seems  to  me  simple  and  ingenious,  and 
applicable  to  many  useful  purposes.  It  is  very  seldom  that  anything  like  a 
Congregation  assembles  in  these  temples.  A  few  priests  and  dancing  women 
live  in  them,  whose  business  is  to  keep  the  shrines  clean,  to  receive  the  offer- 
ings of  the  individuals  who  come  from  time  to  time  to  worship,  and  to  beat 
their  gongs  in  honour  of  their  idols,  which  is  done  three  or  four  times  in  the 
twenty-four  hours."     Bishop  Hehcr's  Journal,  Vol.  I,  pp.  59-60. 

From  Hughly  to  Chitpore,  which  we  have  now  passed 
on  our  right,  the  river  still  washes  places  noted  in  Hindu 
mythology.  Above  Hughly  the  river  has  deserted  its 
ancient  course,  and  sacred  shrines,  which  some  three  hun- 
dred years  ago  or  more  were  reflected  in  the  waters 
of  the  sacred  Gunga,  are  now  even  four  or  five  miles  to 
the  west  of  it.  Beneath  Calcutta  the  waters  have  also  left 
their  old  bed,  now  represented  by  Tolly's  Nallah,  and 
scarcely  a  single  Hindu  temple  rears  its  dome  by  the 
presnet  river  flowing  from  Fort  Wilham  to  the  sea.  We 
are  now,  therefore,  in  a  scene  rich  in  legendary  remi- 
niscences.    Mohesh    which    we    shall    come   to  in  about 


p.  ALLY.  213 

two  hours'  time  is  the  place  where  J  iigannath  stopped  to 
bathe  on  his  way  to  dinner  at  Puri.  A  poem  written  in 
1495  A.D.  by  a  Bengali  author,  named  Bipradas,  describes 
the  voyage  of  Chand  Sadagar,  the  hater  of  the  ser- 
pent goddess,  from  Bhaghulpur  to  the  sea.  Many  a  spot 
to  be  passed  by  our  steamer  to-day  is  mentioned  in  the 
ancient  verses — Tribeni,  Hughly,  Kankanara,  Ichapur, 
Nimai  Ghat,  Khurda,  Rishira,  Konnagar,  Andaha, 
Ghoosery,  Chitpur — names  which  with  but  one  or  two 
exceptions  and  with  very  slight  change  in  orthography, 
are  to  be  found  in  the   most  recent   "Indian  Bradshaw." 

B.\LLY. 

As  the  visitor  has  finished  reading  the  last  paragraph, 
he  finds  the  village  of  Bally  on  his  left — once  and 
perhaps  even  now,  despite  the  Paper  and  Bone  Mills,  one 
of  '  'the  most  orthodox  and  holy  towns  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  Calcutta.  "We  have,"  says  Mr.  J.  C.  Marsh- 
man,  "evidence  of  its  existence  three  centuries  ago  in 
the  poem  of  Kohi  Kunkun,  one  of  the  earliest  products 
now  extant  in  the  Bengali  language.  It  was  one  of  the 
eight  places  which  furnished  Bengal  with  an  almanack 
before  the  art.  of  printing  was  introduced  into  the 
country."  The  reader  who  is  not  acquainted  with 
Hinduism  will  perhaps  fail  to  do  justice  to  the  last 
sentence  of  this  quotation.  Hinduism  is  a  social  sys- 
tem compacted  by  caste  and  drawn  hither  and  tliither 
by  astrology.  Hence  the  importance  of  the  almanack. 
Bally  has  another  point  of  interest.  Tradition  has  it 
that  it  was  to  Bally  the  pious  Brahmins  who  stood 
round  Nuncomar's  scaffold,  in  the  firm  conviction  that 
some  portent  would  intervene  to  save  the  person  of 
-o  high  a  Brahmin  from  sacrilegious  treatment,  fled 
incontinently  when  Nuncomar  was  ignominiously  hanged.* 

We  notice  the  entrance  of  Bally  Khal  from  the  river. 
Fifty-six  years  ago  a  well-informed  writer  hazarded  to 
say  of  the  bridge  over  this  khal  or  creek  :  "  There  is 
no  bridge  in  Bengal  of  so  bold  and  magnificent  a  character. 


•  The  tradition  is  conflnned  by  inquiries  made  on  bebalf  of  Sir  A.  Lyall. 
Stephen  :   Nuncnnar  and  Impey,  Vol.  I,  p.  247. 


See 


214  GUIDK  TO  CALCUTTA. 

or  which  stands  in  a  more  picturesque  situation." 
Passing  by  some  uninteresting  hamlets  and  brickfields, 
we  come  in  sight  of  a  modern  villa  of  red  brick  which 
serves  to  show  us  where  Konnagar  is  situated.  Some- 
what to  the  north  of  a  group  of  temples  is  the  site  of 
what  was  probably  the  old  Danish  Dockyard.  North  of 
this  again  is  the  village  of  Rishra. 

'  'At  the  northern  extremity  of  this  village  stands  a  factory  which  has  existed 
for  half  a  century,  and  passed  successively  through  the  hands  of  various- 
European  houses  of  business  into  those  of  its  late  possessor,  BissembhurSen.* 
It  -was  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  profitable  chintz  manufactories  in  this 
country  having  been  established  not  long  after  Mr.  Prinsep  had  introduced 
the  art."     Calcutta  Bevien\  184.5,  p.  480. 

RlSHRA. 

Bissembhur  Sen,  who  is  said  to  have  commenced  his 
career  with  a  wage  of  8  or  10  rupees  a  month,  ' '  created 
a  large  fortune  of  some  £200,000,  out  of  nothing,  by 
dint  of  economy,  skill,  and  perseverance."  Close  to 
Messrs  Birkmyre's  "Hastings  Mills"  is  the  old  Rishra 
House. 

■'Adjoining  the  factory,  we  have  Rishera  House.  Perhaps  no  place 
presents  more  of  the  appearance  of  an  English  country  seat  than  this 
mansion,  as  it  is  viewed  on  coming  down  the  river,  with  its  green  velvet 
lawn  and  venerable  trees,  which  may  almost  be  mistaken  for  the  oaks  of  a 
park.  It  has  always  been  a  favourite  retreat  with  Calcutta  residents.  It 
is  surrounded  by  a  brick  wall,  the  western  portion  of  which  is  lined  with  a 
row  of  ancient  mango  trees,  one  of  which  excites  the  great  admiration  for 
the  boldness  and  grandeur  of  its  branches.  The  tradition  runs  that  the 
trees  were  p  anted  by  Mrs.  Hastings,  when  she  and  Warren  Hastings  made 
this  villa  their  temporary  residence."     Ibid,  p.  487. 

In  the  advertisements  in  the  Gazette  for  Thursday, 
Aug.  5,  1784,  we  find  offered  for  auction,  failing  private 
sale : 

"That  extensive  piece  of  ground  belonging  to  Warren  Hastings,  Esq., 
called  Rishera,  situated  on  the  western  bank  of  the  river,  two  miles  below 
Serampore,  consisting  of  136  beegahs,  18  of  which  are  Lackherage  land,  or 
land  paying  no  rent."     Seton  Karr  :  Selections,  Vol.  I. 

In  Nov.  1784,  the  great  man  writes  to  his  wife:  "I 
have  sold  Rishra  for  double  the  sum  that  was  paid  for 
it.  This  is  a  riddle,  and  I  leave  it  to  your  sagacity  to 
unravel  it." 


Bissembhur  Sen  obtained  the  property  in  183,3  for  Bs.  10,000. 


1 


RIVAL    .irGGERNATHS.  215 

Messrs.  Birkmyre  Bros,  have  most  kindly  permitted  me 
to  inspect  the  title-deeds  of  their  Rishra  property  *  War- 
ren Hastings,  in  August  1780,  purchased  the  land  from 
Rajchunder  Dutt  and  Kali  Prosad  Dutt  for  Rs.  1,145. 
He  sold  it  in  September  1784  for  Rs.  10,000.  In  Decem- 
ber 1787  the  property  sold  for  Rs.  20,000.  In  1841  it 
was  rented  at  Rs.  2,400  a  year.  In  1865  the  monthly 
rent  was  only  Rs.  35.  In  the  village  there  is  an  unnamed 
European  grave :  local  tradition,  of  course,  has  it  that 
Warren  Hastings  buried  a  child  here. 

MOHESH. 

A  little  way  back  from  the  river  bank  lies  the  hamlet 
of  Mohesh,  once  for  devout  BengaU  Hindus  second  only 
to  Puri  in  sanctity  as  a  shrine  for  the  god  Jugganath. 
Here  it  is  said,  Jugganath  stopped  to  bathe  on  his  way 
to  his  dinner  at  Puri. 

"To  commemorate  this  event,  a  grand  festival  is  held  on  the  fiill  moon  in 
the  month  Joisti,  which  falls  in  May,  and  occasionally  in  June.  On  that  high 
occMion  the  image  is  brought  out  of  the  temple,  wrapped  in  broadcloth,  and 
hoisted  up  on  a  brick  stage  raised  about  seven  feet  fi-om  the  ground.  Just 
at  the  time  when  the  conjunction  of  the  planets  indicates  the  most  auspicious 
moment,  the  officiating  priest  pouis  the  water  of  the  sacred  Ganges  on  its 
head  from  a  silver  kalm,  or  water  pot.  The  ground  before  the  stage  is  a  large 
open  area  which  is  densely  crowded  by  devotees  at  the  festival,  a  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand  of  whom  have  been  known  to  assemble  at  one  time  in  fi'ont 
of  the  image.  As  the  water  descends  upon  the  head  of  the  consecrated  log 
one  long  and  deafening  shout  arises  from  that  vast  multitude  making  the 
welkin  ring;  the  hands  of  the  worshippers  are  at  the  same  moment  lifted  up 
and  clapped  together, — and  the  density  of  the  crowd,  forest  of  hands,  the 
shouts  and  the  clapping,  combine  to  give  an  idea  of  superstitious  enthusiasm 
which  is  rarely  presented  in  any  other  scene."     Calc.  Rev. 

The  Martyn  Pagoda. 

The  village  now  possesses  two  rival  Jugganath  cars. 
One  of  these,  of  cast  iron  and  elaborately  decorated  with 
paintings,  was  manufactured  by  Messrs  Burn  &  Co., 
of  Howrah,  and  prosaically  bears  their  name.  It  is  a 
significant  fact  that  at  the  present  day  the  pulling  of  the 
car   at    festival  occasions   is  done  by  devotees  procured  by 

*  A  most  interesting  series  of  documents  exhibiting  fine  signatures  and  seals 
of  Warren  Hastings,  and  signatures  of  W.  Larkins,  Edward  Tirettes,  Fairfax 
Moresby,  etc..  etc.  Towards  the  close  of  the  XVIIIth  century  the  premises  were 
used  as  an  Indigo  Factory. 


2  ]  ( ')  G II  ID  E    TO    C ALC  UTT A . 

special  coutract  !  Fifty  years  ago  even  to  touch  the  robes 
was  held  to  be  a  privilege. 

The  river  now^  bends  to  the  left  along  Barrackpore 
Reach.  At  the  corner  stands  a  famous  ruin — the  Martyn 
Pagoda. 

"Every  shrine  of  any  note  in  India  lias  some  miraculous  legend  attached  to 
i  t  with  the  design  of  attracting  the  confidence  of  the  people.  It  is  behoved 
that  about  eight  generations  ago,  Roodru  Pundit,  who  was  related  to  a  family 
of  distinction  at  Chatra,  a  mile  to  the  west  of  Serampore,  was  reproved  by  his 
uncle  for  having  presumed  to  secure  the  sacrificial  vessels  of  the  domestic  idol, 
on  which  he  forsook  the  family  mansion,  and  retired  to  Bullubpore,  which  was 
then  a  forest,  where  he  began  a  series  of  religious  austerities,  in  the  hope  one 
day  of  being  able  to  possess  an  image  and  temple  of  his  own.  The  gods  are 
never  indiflferent  to  such  acts  of  devotedness.  and  Radhabullub  himself  is  said 
to  have  appeared  to  him  in  the  form  of  a  religious  mendicant,  and  given  him 
instructions  to  proceed  to  Gour.  the  capital  of  Bengal,  and  obtain  a  slab  of 
stone  which  adorned  the  doorway  of  the  Viceroy's  private  room,  and  con- 
struct an  image  out  of  it.  He  proceeded  to  that  city  and  found  that  the  prime 
minister  and  favourite  of  the  Viceroy  was  a  devoted  Hindu.  To  him  he 
announced  the  revelation  that  he  had  received  and  was  assured  that  no  effort 
should  be  spared  to  obey  the  commands  of  the  god.  Soon  aft«r,  the  stone 
began  to  emit  drops  of  water,  and  by  a  singular  coincidence,  the  Viceroy  him- 
self happened  to  pass  by  at  the  time.  The  minister  pointed  out  the  circum- 
stance, and  asserted  that  the  drops  thus  distilled  were  the  tears  of  the  stone 
and  that  no  time  should  be  lost  in  delivering  the  palace  from  so  inauspicious 
an  omen  by  the  removal  of  this  object.  Permission  wa«  immediately  given 
to  this  effect,  and  Roodru  was  blessed  with  the  gratification  of  his  wishes. 
But  he  was  greatly  pei-plexed  about  the  means  of  removing  his  treasure,  when 
the  god  again  appeared,  and  directed  him  to  return  forthwith  to  Bullubpore, 
and  there  await  in  patience  the  arrival  of  the  stone.  Soon  after  he  had  reach- 
ed his  village,  it  was  miraculously  conveyed  to  the  river  side,  and  floated  down 
the  stream  of  its  own  accord  to  the  landing  stairs  at  Bullubpore,  where  the 

devotee  was  in  the  habit  of  bathing Roodru  set  to  work  immediately 

on  the  stone,  and  by  the  aid  of  the  sculptor  obtained  an  image  which  is 
much  celebrated  for  its  beauty.  The  mysterious  origin  of  the  image  soon 
attached  worshippers,  and  the  proprietor  was  enabled  from  their  help  to 
construct  the  temple  which  forms  one  of  the  most  prominent  objects  at  the 
entrance  of  Serampore  from  the  south." 

Such  is  the  legendary  account  of  the  origin  of  the 
Martyn  Pagoda.  The  writer  proceeds  to  explain  that  the 
Shastras  forbid  a  Brahmin  to  receive  a  gift  or  a  meal 
within  the  limit  of  three  hundred  feet  of  the  river  bank. 
The  river  showing  a  tendency  to  wander  westward  it 
was,  therefore,  necessary  to  remove  the  image  '  'to  another 
spot  where  a  more  magnificent  temple  was  built  at  the 
expense  of  the  wealthy  family  of  Mullicks  of  Calcutta." 
The  Eaja  Nubu  Kissen,  the  Munshi  of  Lord  Clive,  it  is 
affirmed,  borrowed  the  mysterious  image   of  Radhabullub 


ALDEEN    HOUSE.  217 

to  grace  the  funeral  pyre  of  his  mother.  It  required  the 
threat  of  a  Brahminical  curse,  the  tears  of  his  wife,  and 
a  suit  at  the  Supreme  Court  to  induce  him  to  give  it 
back,  but,  when  he  did  restore  the  coveted  idol,  he 
graciously  bestowed  on  it  the  proprietorship  of  the  villages 
of   Bullubpore. 

After  the  removal  of  the  idol,  the  deserted  Pagoda 
became  part  and  parcel  of  the  grounds  of  the  squat-looking 
bungalow  we  see  a  little  beyond  it,  and  which  bears  the 
name  of  Aldeen  House.  This  property  was  purchased 
by  the  Rev.  David  Brown,  the  "patriarch"  of  those 
forever  memorable  chaplains  who  are  known  to  history 
as  "the  five  evangelical  chaplains."  Before  their  day 
many  a  strenuous  attempt  had  been  made  by  the 
Government  Chaplains  to  initiate  missionary  work  in 
Bengal,  yet  it  is  to  the  zeal  oi"  the  five"  the  Anglo- 
Catholic  Church  must  ever  look  back  as  ' '  the  hole  of 
the  pit  "  whence  her  foundations  of  her  Indian  mission- 
ary work  were  digged. 

To  Aldeen  House  in  May,  1806,  came  the  recent 
Cambridge  Senior  Wrangler,  Henry  Martyn,  "burning  out 
for  God."  The  story  of  his  hopeless  passion  for  Lydia 
Grenfell,  the  puritan  Cornish  maid  of  Mazagon,  who 
acknowledged  her  love  for  Martyn  but  either  could  not 
or  would  not  join  him  in  India,  is  an  often-told 
romance.  While  awaiting  his  appointment  to  a  military 
station  up-country,  Martyn  came  hither,  and  finding 
that  the  intrusive  habits  of  native  servants  interfered 
with  his  devotions,  he  obtained  the  ruined  Pagoda  as 
a  dwelling.  "  The  ruin  which  stands  can  only  be  a  por- 
tion of  the  Pagoda  as  it  stood  in  Martyn's  time,  for  he 
'lescribes  it  as  "  having  so  many  recesses  and  cells  that  I 
f'ln  hardly  find  my  way  in  and  out."  Later  on,  too,  we 
know  that  Brown  found  room  for  an  organ  in  the  Pagoda. 
We  can  well  understand  that  the  place  was  somewhat 
weird.  "Thither,"  writes  Martyn,  "  I  retired  at  night,  and 
really  felt  something  like  superstitious  dread  at  being  in 
a  place  once  inhabited  as  it  were  by  devils,  but  yet  felt 
disposed  to  be  triumphantly  joyful  that  the  Temple  where 
they  were  worshipped  was  become  Christ's  Oratory.  T 
prayed  aloud  to  my  God,  and  the  echo  returned    from  the 


218  OniDB    TO    CALCUTTA. 

vaulted   roof.       Oh,    may    T    so    pray    that     the    dome    of 
Heaven  may  so  resound." 

A  very  affecting  service  took  place  at  the  Pagoda  on 
Friday,  Oct.  lOtli,  1706  "with  a  view  to  commend 
Martyn  to  the  favour  and  protection  of  God  in  his 
work."  The  prayers  were  commenced  by  David  Brown, 
continued  by  Desgranges  of  the  London  Missionary  Society 
and  Marshman  of  the  Serampore  Baptist  College,  and 
concluded  by  the  great  Carey  who  earnestly  prayed  for 
Brown  that  "having  laboured  for  many  years  without 
encouragement  or  support,  in  the  evening  it  might  be  light." 
Desgranges  himself  was  married  in  this  queer  Oratory. 

"The  Pagoda  was  fixed  on,  and  lighted  up  for  the  celebration  of  the  wed- 
ding ;  at  eight  o'clock  the  parties  came  from  the  (Baptist)  Mission  House 
attended  by  most  of  the  family.  Mr.  Brown  commenced  with  the  hymn 
'Gome  Gracious  Spirit,  Heavenly  Dove.'  A  divine  influence  seemed  to  attend 
us,  and  most  delightful  were  my  sensations.  The  circumstance  of  so  many 
being  engaged  in  spreading  the  glad  tidings  of  salvation, — the  temple  of  an 
idol  converted  for  the  purposeof  Christian  worship,  and  the  Divine  presence, 
felt  among  us — filled  me  with  joy  unspeakable.  After  the  marriage  service 
of  the  Church  of  England,  Mr.  Brown  gave  out  'the  wedding  hymn,'  and  after 
signing  the  certificate  of  marriage,  we  adjourned  to  the  house  where  Mr.  Brown 
had  provided  supper.  Two  hymns  given  out  by  Mr.  Marshman  were  felt  very 
powerfully."  Memoircs  of  the  Right  Revd.  Daniel  Corrie,  LL.D.,  First 
Bishop  of  Madras,  pp.  49-50. 

In  1806,  Dr.  Claudius  Buchanan,  the  projector  of  the 
English  Episcopate  in  India,  was  away  from  Bengal  on 
the  first  of  his  famous  voyages  to  the  Malabar  Coast. 
Daniel  Corrie  and  Joseph  Parson  reached  Aldeen  House 
on  the  21st,  a  short  time  before  Martyn  set  out  (Oct. 
18th)  for  Cawnpore.  Marmaduke  Thompson,  the 
Government  Chaplain  of  Cuddalore,  happened  to  be  in  Ben- 
gal in  this  year.  Thompson  did  not  reach  India  until  two 
years  later.  But  the  Synod  "which  met  at  Aldeen  House 
on  Nov.  29,  1806,  practically  represented  that  group  of 
missionary  pioneers  who,  in  addition  to  their  labours  as 
Government  Chaplains,  initiated  the  vast  work  now 
associated  more  especially  with  the  Church  Missionary 
Society. 

After  Brown's  death  the  purchase  of  Aldeen  House 
was  suggested  to  the  Church  Missionary  Society,  but 
being  unwilling,  even  if  in  appearance  only,  to  be  guilty  of 
a  breach   of  missionary  comity,    the  Society  declined  to 


SBRAMPOKB.  219 

acquire  a  site  for  work  so  close  to  the  field  occupied  by  the 
famous  Baptist  Mission  of  Serampore.  About  1845,  the 
Temple  of  Radhabullub  underwent  yet  another  change  :  it 
became  "the  Pagoda  Rum  Distillery."  Aldeen  House 
still  stands,  and  is  occasionally  inhabited  by  the  Engineers 
of  the  Howrah  Water  Works,  which  have  broken 
up  David  Brown's  once  level  lawns  into  tanks.  The 
Pagoda  itself  is  now  under  the  care  of  the  Pubhc  Works 
Department,  and  the  Water  Works  folk  only  occupy 
the  adjacent  ground  on  the  understanding  that  the  public 
have  a  free  access  to  a  memorial  of  so  great  an  object  of 
historical   interest. 

Serampore. 

The  old  Danish  settlement  of  Serampore  is  called  by 
the  Danes  Fredricksnagar  in  honour  of  their  King. 
The  Danish  East  India  Company  was  founded  in  1612, 
but  the  date  of  the  first  appearance  of  the  Danes  on  the 
Hughlv  is  a  matter  of  dispute.  In  the  early  years  of  the 
XVIIIth  century  they  had,  a  little  below  the  mouth  of  the 
Rupnaryan,  so  Hamilton  tells  us  ''a  thatcht  house,  but  for 
what  reason  they  kept  an  house  there  I  never  could  learn." 
By  1712  they  had  come  higher  up  the  river  to  Gon- 
tlalpara — to-day  known  to  natives  as  Danemardanga 
—  the  South-East  corner  of  Chandernagore.  In  1755, 
however,  thanks  to  the  kindly  influence  of  M.  Law,  the 
chief  of  the  French  factory  at  Kasimbazar,  the  chief  of 
the  Danish  factory,  Soctman  by  name,  obtained  from 
the  Nawab  Ali  Verdi  Khan,  permission  to  establish  a 
Factory  and  to  occupy  57  bigas  of  land  at  Akna  and  three 
bigas  at  Serampore,  because  "  no  ship  could  lay  at  Akna 
though  a  good  Factory  could  be  built  there  on  a  large 
open  spot  of  ground."  For  this  they  paid  Rs.  1,60,000, 
and  possession  was  taken  on  October  8th,  1755. 

In  1756  Suraj-ud-Daula,  in  his  march  on  Calcutta, 
ordered  Soctman  to  join  him  with  all  his  troops,  Cavalry, 
Infantry,  and  Artillery,  to  which  Soctman  answered  that 
he  had  "  neither  horse,  foot,  nor  guns,  but  was  living  in  a 
miserable  mud  hut  with  but  two  and  three  servants.  " 

During  the  Seven  Years'  War,  1757—1763,  the  Danes 
seem   to   have,  under   the   guise   of    neutrality,  evinced  a 


-220  GUTOK    TO    CALCUT'l'A. 

partiality   for   the   French    which  was  not  appreciated  by 
the  Board  at  Calcutta. 

"  A  lew  years  later  caiue  the  palmy  days  of  Serampur  trade,  during  the 
American  War  (1780).  Kngland  was  at  war  with  the  three  great  maritime 
nations — France,  Holland,  and  America;  English  vessels  wei-e  exposed  to  the 
attacks  of  privateers,  especially  French  privateers  from  Mauritius  and  Reunion 
who  captured  a  good  number  of  Indiamen,  and  rates  of  insui'ance  were  very 
heavy.  Goods  shipped  from  Serampur  went  in  neutral  bottoms,  and  naturally 
the  Danish  ships  easily  got  valuable  freights  at  high  rates.  No  less  than  22 
ships,  with  an  average  tonnage  of  over  10,000  tous,  cleared  from  Serampur 
within  nine  months.  The  Danish  East  India  Company  made  large  profits,  and 
their  factors  retired  with  handsome  fortunes,  made  in  a  few  years' service." 
Orawford  :  Brief  Hixtirrii  of  the  Hooghly  District,  p.  .52. 

A  similar  period  of  prosperity  was  afforded  by  the 
Napoleonic  wars,  when  ships  of  600  to  800  tons,  could 
lie  off  the  Serampore  Wharfs.  In  1801,  however.  Angle 
and  Dane  were  at  war,  and  Serampore  was  seized,  but 
handed  back  after  the  signature  of  the  Treaty  of  Amiens 
on  March  27th,  1801.  In  1808.  war  having  again  broken 
out  a  detachment  of  troops  from  Fort  William,  under 
Lt.-Col.  Carey,  occupied  Serampore  on  the  morning  of 
January  28th,  while  the  Danish  shipping  was  captured  by 
H.  M.'s  ships  Modeste,  Terpsichore  and  Dasher.  In  1815 
the  settlement  was  restored  to  the  Danes,  but  the  silt 
formations  had  already  rendered  the  old  maritime  pros- 
perity a  mere  historical  tradition. 

In  1845  the  Danes  sold  their  Indian  settlements  to  the 
British  for  the  sum  of  twelve  lakhs,  and  Serampore  was 
finally  taken  over  by  the  English  on  October  11th,  1845. 

""The  manuscript  account  of  the  settlement,  drawn  up  with  minute  care 
when  we  took  over  the  town  from  the  Danes  in  1845.  sets  forth  every 
detail,  down  to  the  exact  number  of  hand  looms,  burial  grounds,  and  liquor 
shops.  But  throughout  its  seventj-seven  folio  pages  I  could  discover  not  a 
word  indicating  the  survival  of  sea-going  trade.  Sir  \\.  Hunter:  The  liiilia 
■of  the  Qvcev  and  other  Ex,<iay.i.  p.  201. 

The  steamer  will  bring  us  close  to  a  landing  ghat  near 
to  the  Church  :  and  here  we  must  step  into  a  "green  boat" 
and  be  rowed  to  the  shore.  A  ticca  ghari  can  easily  be 
found  and  we  will  drive  first  to  inspect  more  closely  the 
Martyn  Pagoda  and  Aldeen  House  which  we  have  already 
seen  from  the  river.  This  done  we  will  visit  the  Baptist 
College. 


CAREV.  2-21 

William  Carey,  the  founder  of  the  historic  Seranipore 
Mission,  was  born  on  Aug.  17th,  1761.  He  was  the  son 
of  the  schoolmaster  of  Paulersbury  in  Northamptonshire. 
In  early  youth  he  had  been  brought  up  as  a  strict 
Churchman,  but,  while  still  a  lad,  he  embraced  the  tenets 
of  the  Baptist  Community.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  he  was 
apprenticed  to  a  shoemaker  at  Moulton.  At  an  early 
age  he  entered  the  pulpit,  but  the  £11  a  year  which 
he  received  as  Baptist  Minister  of  Moulton,  with  a 
grant  of  another  £5  from  London,  was  not  sufficient 
to  relieve  him  of  the  necessity  of  walking  some  eight  or 
ten  miles  into  Northampton  with  a  wallet  of  shoes  on  his 
back.  Years  after,  when  dining  with  Lord  Hastings 
at  Barrackpore,  Dr.  Carey  overheard  a  general  officer 
asking  one  of  his  aides-de-camp  whether  it  were  not  the 
case  that  the  Viceroy's  guest  had  once  plied  his  hand  as 
shoemaker.  "No,  sir,"  was  the  Doctor's  ready  inter- 
ruption, "only  as  cobbler."  lu  1793  Carey,  who  had 
been  accepted  as  a  Missionary  by  the  recently  formed 
(Oct.  2,  1792)  Baptist  Missionary  Society  endeavoured  to 
come  out  to  India  on  board  one  of  the  Company's  ves- 
sels, The  Oxford,  but  his  companion,  the  eccentric  Medical 
Missionary  Thomas,  was  heavily  in  debt,  and  that  cir- 
cumstance led  to  the  expulsion  of  the  Missionaries  from 
the  Indiaman.  Ultimately  the  Missionaries  set  sail  in 
the  Danish  vessel  Cron  Princessa  Maria.  Carey  arrived 
at  Calcutta  on  November  the  Uth,  after  enduring  great 
personal  distress  mainly  due  to  his  association  with 
Thomas,  and  found  refuge  for  fivp  years  as  an  indigo 
planter  under  an  evangelical  civilian  at  Malda — George 
Udney.  Here,  at  Malda,  he  acquired  his  profound 
knowledge  of  the  Bengali  language,  and  it  is  a  fact 
which  deserves  a  far  wider  recognition  than  it  at  present 
enjoys  that  it  is  due  mainly  to  the  early  Missionaries 
that  the  vernacular  of  Bengal  is  now  a  language  under- 
stood by  the  rulers  of  the  people.  In  1797,  however, 
Udney,  after  a  series  of  bad  seasons,  was  compelled  to 
abandon  the  factory  at  which  Carey  had  laboured. 

In  the  meanwhile,  John  Ward,  bom  in  1769,  and  ap- 
prenticed as  a  painter,  and  John  Marshman  born  on 
April    20th,    1768,    a    shop    boy    at    Mr.   Cabus'   shop   in 


t'li  (il  IDE  TO  CALCUTTA. 

Holborn,  had  volunteered  for  Missionary  work  in  India. 
After  a  voyage  of  four  months  and  a  half  on  board  the 
American  ship  Criterion.  Marshman  and  Ward  with  two 
others,  on  October  13th,  1799,  reached  the  Danish  port  of 
Serampore.  The  attitude  of  the  Government  at  Calcutta 
was  not  likely  to  be  favourable  to  Missonaries  of  a  sect 
then  so  much  despised  as  that  of  the  Anabaptists.  Even 
in  England  the  age  of  toleration  had  not  yet  dawned  and 
to  the  average  English  laymen,  whose  hatred  of  dissent 
was  by  no  means  the  counterpart  of  his  zeal  for  the  Church, 
dissent  was  another  name  for  hostihty  to  "establishments" 
and  sympathy  for  that  still  active  volcano — the  French 
Revolution.  Massacres  of  Enghsh  folks  at  isolated 
Indian  stations  were  still  incidents  not  altogether  infre- 
quent in  recent  memory  and  what  might  be  expected  if 
any  cobbler  or  journeyman  printer  should  be  allowed  to 
excite  the  fanaticism  of  the  people  by  their  indiscreet 
denunciations  of  the  native  faith  ?  Threatened  with 
deportation  by  the  English  authorities,  Marshman  and 
Ward  elected  to  remain  under  the  protection  of  the  Danes 
at  Serampore.  On  January  the  10th,  1800,  Carey,  with 
his  family,  "consisting  of  four  sons  and  wife  in  a  state  of 
hopeless  insanity,"  joined  Marshman  and  Ward  at  the 
Danish  capital,  and  so  formed  that  for  ever  memorable 
triumvirate  of  Baptist  Missionaries.  The  baptism  of  the 
first  convert  took  place  on  Sunday,  December  20th,  1800. 

"The  missionaries  assembled  with  the  eongregation  in  the  chapel,  and  Mr- 
Carey  walked  down  to  the  river  with  his  eldest  son,  about  to  be  baptised,  .and 
Krishna,  on  either  side  of  him.  Mr.  Thomas,  who  was  confined  to  his  couch, 
made  the  air  resound  with  blasphemous  ravings  ;  and  Mrs.  Carey  shut  up  in 
her  own  room  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  path,  poured  forth  the  most  painful 
shrieks.  At  the  ghat,  or  lauding  stairs,  the  Governor  and  several  Europeans, 
and  a  large  body  of  Portuguese,  and  a  dense  crowd  of  Hindoos  and  Maho- 
medans,  were  waiting  to  wtness  this  novel  ceremony.  To  this  assembly  Mr. 
Carey  explained  that  they  did  not  believe  there  was  any  Divine  virtue  in  the 
river,  but  regarded  it  as  the  simple  element  of  water;  that  Krishna  was  for- 
merly of  their  creed  but  professed  by  the  present  act  to  renounce  his  belief 
in  the  gods,  and  profess  his  belief  in  one  God,  and  to  become  a  disciple  of 
Jesus  Christ.  The  most  perfect  silence  and  a  feeling  of  deep  solemnity  per- 
vaded the  whole  assembly,  and  the  Governor  was  melted  to  tears.  In  the 
afternoon  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper  was  administered  for  the  first 
time  in  the  Bengali  language.  This  public  celebration  of  the  ordinance  of 
baptism  created  great  excitement  through  the  town  and  neighbourhood,  and 
the  vernacular  school  was  deserted  by  every  lad.  The  same  result  has  fol- 
lowed at  subsequent  periods  the  conversion  of  native  youths  in   missionary 


SERAMPORE    COLLEGE.  224 

seminaries ;  and  it  is  only  at  the  present  day  [1869],  at  the  end  of  more  than 
half  a  century,  that  the  natives  of  Calcutta,  famiharised  with  desertions  from 
their  creed,  have  ceased  to  break  up  the  schools  on  every  fresh  indication  of 
danger.  Thus  ended,  the  first  and  most  eventful  year  of  the  Serampore 
Mission."  J.  C.  Marshman :  The  Life  and  Timex  of  Carey.  Marshman,  and 
Ward,   Vol.  L  pp.  139-40. 

In  1800  the  house  was  purchased  for  the  Mission,  and 
the  Press  was  established  in  a  side  building.  In  February 
7th,  1801,  the  last  sheet  of  the  Bengali  New  Testament 
was  issued  from  the  Press.  Two  thousand  copies  were 
printed  at  the  cost  of  £612.  In  1803  "the  missionaries 
baptised  the  first  Brahmin — Krishna  Prasad." 

"On  the  baptism  of  the  first  brahmin,  Mr.  Carey  and  his  colleagues  were 
called  to  fix  the  rule  of  practice  on  this  point  at  the  celebration  of  the  Lord's 
Supper,  and  they  resolved  to  exterminate  every  vestige  of  caste  from  the 
Christian  Community  they  were  rearing  up,  and  the  brahmin  received 
the  bread  and  the  wine  aft«r  the  carpenter  Krishna.  Op.  cit.,  Vol.  1, 
p.  177. 

Entering  the  compound,  we  first,  by  permission  of 
the  Principal,  visit  the  Mission  House  and  the  room  in 
which  Carey  died.  This  done  we  take  our  way  to  the 
College.  Bishop  Middleton  had  chosen  the  Gothic  style 
of  architecture   for   his    "Bishop's   College." 

■ '  The  Serampore  Missionaries  did  not  consider  this  order  suited  to  a  tropical 
chmate  and  temperature.  The  paramount  object  in  every  building  in  the 
East  is  to  secure  ample  ventilation,  and  this  is  not  compatible  with  the  full 
development  of  the  beauties  of  Gothic  Architecture.  They  preferred  the 
Grecian  style,  and  a  noble  specimen  of  it  did  they  erect  in  the  grounds  appro- 
priated to  the  college,  amounting  to  ten  acres.  It  was  built  under  the  super- 
intendence of  Major  Wickedie.the  second  member  of  the  little  Council  of  Seram  - 
pore.  The  centre  building,  intended  for  the  public  rooms  was  a  hundred  and 
thirty  feet  in  length,  and  a  hundred  and  twenty  in  depth.  The  hail  on  the 
ground  floor,  supported  on  arches,  and  terminated  at  the  south  by  a  bow,  wa« 
ninety-five  feet  in  length,  sixty -six  in  breadth,  and  twenty  in  height.  It  was 
originally  intended  for  the  library,  but  is  now  occupied  for  the  classes.  The 
hall  above,  of  the  same  dimensions  and  twenty-six  feet  in  height,  was  sup- 
ported by  two  rows  of  Ionic  columns;  it  was  intended  for  the  annual  examina- 
tions. Of  the  twelve  side-rooms,  above  and  below,  eight  were  of  spacious 
dimensions,  twenty-seven  feet  by  thirty-five.  The  portico  which  fronted  the 
river  was  composed  of  six  columns,  more  than  four  feet  in  diameter  at  the  base. 
The  staircase  room  was  ninety-feet  in  length,  twenty-seven  in  width,  and 
forty-seven  in  height,  with  two  staircases  of  cast  iron,  of  large  size  and  elegant 
form,  prepared  at  Birmingham.  The  spacious  grounds  were  surrounded  witJi 
iron  railings,  and  the  front  entrance  was  adorned  with  a  noble  gate,  likewise 
cast  at  Birmingham."  J.  0.  Marshman:  Life  and  Times  of  Caret/.  Marsh- 
man and  Ward,  Vol.  II,  pp.  236-6. 


L 


224  GUIDE    TO    CALCUTTA, 

The  College  site  was  purchased  in  1819,  and  the  build- 
ing commenced  in  1821.  In  1826  Dr.  Marshman  visited 
Copenhagen,  and  obtained  a  Royal  Charter  for  the 
College  from  the  Danish  King.  In  1845  when  Seram- 
pore  was  transferred  to  the  English,  the  Danes  expressly 
stipulated  that  the  rights  conferred  under  the  Charter 
should  be  preserved,  and,  in  consequence,  Serampore 
College  has  still  the  right  to  confer  degrees — a  privilege 
maintained,  but  not  actually  made  use  of. 

The  Library  is  in  the  long  northern  side  room  on  the 
upper  floor.  Here  the  reader  will  with  reverence  behold 
some  relics  of  Dr.  Carey — his  chair,  crutches,  and  the  old 
pulpit  from  which  he  was  wont  to  preach  in  Serampore 
Church.  The  portraits  of  Frederick  VI.  of  Denmark, 
his  wife,  and  a  copy  of  a  Madonna  by  Raphael  are  not  very 
praiseworthy  works  of  art,  but  the  reader  perhaps  will 
have  already  heard  of  the  famous  Serampore  portrait,  and 
will  be  impatient  to  examine  the  alleged  picture  of  the 
lady  who  stirred  so  violently  the  passions  of  Sir  Philip 
Francis,  and  who  ultimately  became  the  wife  of  the 
ex-bishop  of  Autun,  the  profoundest  diplomat  of  modern 
times,  the  Prince  Talleyrand.  But  a  disappointment  is 
in  store,  for  the  old  tradition  has  of  late  been  rudely  cut 
to  pieces  by  a  local  antiquary  in  his  pamphlet :  The  Seram- 
fore  Portrait.  Is  it  Madam  Grand  ?  It  seems  now  to 
be  established  that  the  picture  is  a  portrait  of  the  Prin- 
cess Louisa  Augusta  of  Augustenburg,  and  that  a  picture 
hanging  close  by  of  a  '  'strikingly  handsome  noble-look- 
ing man  wearing  a  frilled  or  ruffled  breast-front  and  a 
broad  green  riband  "  is  that  lady's  husband — Prince 
Frederick  Christian.  The  mother  of  the  lady  in  the 
picture  was  the  unhappy  Queen  Caroline  Matilda,  daugh- 
ter of  Frederick,  Prince  of  Wales,  and  a  sister  of  our  own 
George  III.  The  Princess  Louisa  Augusta  was  thus  the 
sister  of  Frederick  the  Vlth  of  Denmark — the  monarch 
who  bestowed  a  Charter  on  the  Serampore  College.  She 
was  born  in  1771,  and  at  fifteen  married  the  handsome 
prince  depicted  in  the  neighbouring  picture. 

Leaving  the  College,  we  observe  on  its  northern  bound- 
ary the  India  Jute  Mill.  Here  in  bygone  days,  J.  C. 
Marshman,  the  son  of  the  Missionary,  edited    the  Friend 


t 


SERAMPORE   CHURCBES.  225 

of  India,  the  progenitor  of  the  Calcutta  Statesman,  and 
here  he  was  succeeded  by  Mr.  Meredith  Townsend,  and 
Dr.  George  Smith,  ci.e.  The  Mill  has  also  tres- 
passed on  the  site  of  Dr.  Carey's  once  famous  Botanical 
Garden. 

We  turn  to  the  left  into  the  central  roadway  of  the 
town — an  exceedingly  pretty  avenue  leading  up  between 
casuarina  trees  to  the  Church.  On  the  left  is  the  old  Gov- 
ernment House  of  Danish  times. 

The  Church,  originally  Lutheran,  was  completed  in 
1805,  and  owes  its  existence  to  the  exertions  of  the 
Danish  Governor,  Col.  Bie  (1789-1805),  who  died  on 
May  13th  of  the  very  year  in  which  the  Church  was  com- 
pleted. It  cost  Rs.  18,000,  of  which  Rs.  8,000  were  raised 
by  subscriptions  in  Calcutta,  and  Rs.  10,000  was  con- 
tributed by  the  Marquess  of  Wellesley,  ' '  who  is  said  to 
have  remarked  at  the  time  that  nothing  was  wanting 
to  Barrackpore  Park  but  the  distant  view  of  a  steeple." 
As  no  Danish  minister  was  provided,  the  Baptist  Mis- 
sionaries for  many  years  held  their  services  here,  and 
it  was  in  July  1808  that  Dr.  Carey  opened  the  Church, 
preaching  from  the  text:  "Arise,  0  Lord  God,  into  Thy 
resting  place,  Thou  and  the  ark  of  Thy  strength."  (2 
Chron.  vi,  41).  The  Church  contains  a  memorial  to  Dr. 
Carey  and  his  two  famous  associates.  The  two  massive 
silver  candlesticks  which  used  to  decorate  the  old  Lutheran 
altar  have,  alas!  disappeared. 

The  Roman  Catholic  Church,  which,  like  the  Murghi- 
hatta  Cathedral  at  Calcutta,  is  a  monument  to  the  pious 
liberality  of  the  Baretto  family,  was  erected  in  1776  at 
the  cost  of  Rs.  13,386.  It  replaced  a  smaller  Church 
erected  in  1764. 

We  return  to  the  river  bank.  As  the  green-boat  slowly 
ferries  us  across  the  river,  we  shall  not  fail  to  note  the 
prettiness  of  the  little  town  with  its  neat  white  bunga- 
lows lying  beneath  the  shade  of  pleasant  trees.  In 
bygone  days,  before  Simla  and  Darjeeling  were  heard  of, 
Calcutta  folk  used  to  care  a  great  deal  more  "for  week 
ends' '  at  river-side  bungalows  than  they  do  to-day,  and  at 
Serampore  there  was  a  famous  hotel  and  tavern — "the 
new  upper-roomed  house  near  the  Flag-staf?  at  Serampore, 

F,  GC  15 


22B  GUIDE   I^O   CALCUTTA. 

directly  facing  the  Barrackpore  Cantonments."**  But 
Serampore  was  also  "at  one  time  the  Alsatia  of  Cal- 
cutta, and  afforded  refuge  to  schemers,  insolvent  debtors 
and  reckless  adventurers,  who  had  found  it  prudent  to 
disappear  from  the  metropolis.  It  was  in  consequence 
a  bustling,  lively,   gay,  dissipated  place."! 

Barrackpore. 

It  is  difficult  to  realise  as  we  look  across  the  river  to 
Barrackpore  that  it  has  proved  to  be  the  most  unhealthy 
military  station  in  Bengal.  The  fact  that  civilians  find 
the  place  pleasant  enough  suggests  the  belief  that  there 
must  be  something  not  very  sound  about  the  Canton- 
ments. The  native  name  Achanok  is,  in  popular  but 
unfounded  tradition,  derived  from  the  founder  of  Calcutta 
who  is  supposed  to  have  had  a  garden  house  here.  Bar- 
rackpore, the  modern  name,  has  an  obvious  derivation. 

We  will  proceed  at  once  to  the  Military  Parade-ground. 
At  the  present  day  the  military  strength  of  the  station  is 
never  more  than  a  battery  of  Mounted  Artillery,  a 
battery  of  Field  Artillery,  one  company  of  European 
Troops,  and  a  Native  Regiment.  In  times  before  the  great 
Mutiny  three  and  even  more  Native  Regiments  were  fre- 
quently stationed  here.  The  Parade-ground  has  been 
the  scene  of  two  famous  mutinies.  The  earliest  of 
these,  and,  from  a  local  point  of  view,  the  most  serious 
occurred  in  1824,  and  arose  under  the  circumstances 
created  by  the  first  Burmese  War.  An  exaggerated 
account  of  a  British  disaster,  the  Hindu  caste  abhorrence 
to  a  journey  by  sea,  recent  changes  in  regimental  organi- 
zation, higher  pay  given  to  low  caste  camp-followers, 
dread  of  the  climate  of  Arracan,  etc.,  etc.,  drove  the  men 
into  a  state  of  "stupid  desperation."  Lady  Amherst,  the 
wife  of  the  then  Governor-General,  has  left  us  a  re- 
cord of  the  tragedy  which  ensued  : — 

■"November,  1824.  On  the  evening  of  October  31,  General  Dalzell  iufornied 
Lord  Amherst  that  a  mutinous  .spirit  had  manifested  itself  among  the 
troops  in  the  cantonment,  that  the  47th  Native  ]nfantr3' had  refused  to  march 

•  Seton-Karr  :  Selections.  Vol.  I,  p;  168. 

t  Thornton;  Oazttteer  of  India,  18S8.  p.  872 


THE   BARRACKPORE   MUTINY.  227 

and  had  demanded  increase  of  paj',  and  in  short  seemed  resolved  to  resist 
their  officers.  Ear'y  on  the  morning  of  the  1st,  General  Dalzell  went  up  to 
the  Commander-in-Chief,  and  before  3  o'clock  that  day  himself  and  all  his 
staff  arrived  at  Barrackpore.  Soon  after,  the  bodyguard  consisting  of  300 
men,  went  up  in  a  boat  to  overtake  General  Cotton's  regiment.  It  had 
proceeded  thirty  miles  up  the  river,  but  arrived  here  at  [Barrackpore]  as 
did  the  Royals  from  Calcutta,  bj-  11  at  night.  Some  artillery  also  arrived 
from  Dum-Dum ;  the  house  therefore  was  well  guarded  on  all  sides  and  all  the 
avenues  to  it,  and  we  then  thought  ourselves  safe  from  the  attack  we  fully 
expected  from  the  mutineers.  Their  numbers  had  increased  during  the 
night:  200  of  the  47th  had  declared  their  loyalty  and  determination  to  be 
staunch  to  their  duty,  but  they  traitorously  joined  their  companions,  as  did 
about  200  of  the  62nd  Regiment  of  Native  Infantry  and  about  30  of  the 
26th  Regiment.  All  the  non-commissioned  as  well  as  the  commissioned 
native  officers  to  a  man  went  to  their  colonel  and  declared  they  would  stand 
by  him.  The  sequel  will  show  their  sincerity.  By  daybreak  on  November  1, 
Sir  E.  Paget,  who  had  with  his  staff  bivouacked  in  tlie  green  house,  put  himself 
at  the  head  of  the  troops.     About  2,000  men  proceeded  to  the  cantonment. 

"The  cannon  from  Dum-Dum  was  stationed  in  the  park  to  fire  over 
the  pales  on  the  insurgents,  if  necessary.  Captain  Macan  and  two  other 
officers  were  sent  to  them.  He  addressed  the  mutineers  in  their  own 
language  in  a  very  conciliatory  manner,  endeavouring  to  persuade  them 
of  the  folly  and  danger  of  persisting  in  their  mutiny,  and  refusal  to 
deliver  up  their  arms.  No  argument  availed.  He  then  told  them  the 
dire  consequence  that  must  ensue,  and  that  at  his  return  without 
their  laying  down  their  arms,  the  signal  would  be  given  to  fire  upon 
them.  Their  ringleaders  laughed  at  him,  and  on  his  report  to  the  Com- 
mander-in-Chief, the  signal  was  given.  The  mutineers  instantly  fled. 
The  cannon  fired  several  volleys  afterwards,  as  did  the  musketry,  four 
or  five  were  killed  or  wounded,  and  many  hundreds  were  taken  prisoners. 
They  fled  in  all  directions,  and  were  instantly  dispersed.  Above  800 
muskets  and  uniforms  were  found  in  the  adjacent  fieicls  and  roads.  The 
Court-Martial  sat  immediately.  The  ringleaders  (six)  were  hanged  next 
morning.  Many  hundreds  since  have  been  found  guilty  and  sentenced 
to  death,  but  this  was  commuted  to  hard  labour  for  fourteen  years  on 
the  public  roads.  Five  other  ringleaders  were  executed  afterwards 
and  one  man  whom  the  mutineers  regarded  as  their  Commander-in-Chief 
was  hung  in  chains  in  front  of  the  lines.  Every  one  of  these  unfortu- 
nate deluded  wretches  declared  that  their  native  officers  had  instigated 
them  to  mutiny  by  all  sorts  of  means.  To  the  Hindus  they  told  them 
they  would  be  compelled  to  eat  beef  (a  sacred  animal),  and  to  the  Musal- 
mans,  pork.  All  the  officers  (native)  were  dismissed  the  service  and 
their  guilt  proclaimed  at  the  head  of  every  regiment  in  their  native 
language. 

"  Before  the  troops  arrived  on  the  1st  at  Barrackpore,  we  were  for 
twenty-four  hours  in  great  danger  and  entirely  at  the  mercy  of  the 
mutineers.  Had  they  had  any  clever  head  among  them,  and  seized  the 
Govej-nor-General  and  the  ('ommander-in-Chief,  the  mutineers  might 
probably  have  maile  their  own  terms.  There  was  not  a  single 
European  or  person  to  be  depended  upon,  and  our  situation  was 
awfully  alarming.  Lord  Amherst  resolved  not  to  leave  the  house,  and 
I  determined  not  to  quit  him.  Sarah  behaved  heroically,  and  though  ill, 
declared  she  would  remain,  and  kept  up  her  spirits  as  we  all  did  as  well 
aa  we  could, 

"The  Commander-in-Chief  returned  his  thanks  to  us  both  for  not 
quitting  the  house  ;  but  it  was  a  frightful  scene.     English  soldiers  firing 


228  GUIDE   TO   CALCUTTA. 

on  British  uniforms,  pursuing  them  in  all  directions  ;  some  of  our  ser- 
vants were  woumied.  We  fortunately  did  not  know  at  the  moment 
that  the  nisht  the  mutiny  broke  out  all  the  sentries  in  and  about  ihe 
house  belonged  to  the  47th.  The  scene  of  action  was  not  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  from  the  house.  Many  shots  entered  the  cook-hou^e  and  many  fell 
into  the  water  under  our  windows,  and  we  saw  great  numbers  trying  to 
swim  the  (ianges.  Few  reached  the  opposite  shore  from  the  strength  of 
ihe  current. 

"Twenty  or  thirty  dead  bodies  were  seen  floating  down  of  these 
unhappy  people.  The  different  regiments  of  British  troops  remained  at 
Barrackpore  about  a  week,  after  which  the  native  regiments  marched 
quietly  to  the  eastern  frontier,  and  the  British  troops  renirned  to  their 
destination.  The  English  regiments  encamped  in  the  park,  as  also  the 
artillery  and  tlie  bodyguard.  Had  any  cause  l)ronght  them  here  but 
the  actual  on?,  we  should  have  enjoyed  this  beautiful  encampment  and 
scenery  exceedingly."  Quoted  in  "  Rulers  of  India,"  Lord  Amherst, 
pp.  150—53. 

The  Parade-ground  of  Barrackpore  is  also  the  first 
scene  in  the  great  tragedy  of  1857.  The  story  of  the 
greased  cartridges  is  too  well  known  to  need  repetition 
here.  The  reader  who  \vishes  to  refresh  his  memory  or 
inform  his  brain  on  the  subject  of  the  great  Mutiny  is 
referred  to  Mr.  T.  Rice  Holmes'  admirable  work. 

"[March  29th]  *  *  *  *  Sergeaut-Major  Hewson  was  in  his  bungalow  when 
a  native  officer  came  running  in  to  report  that  a  sepoy  named  Mungul 
Pandy  had  come  out  of  the  lines  with  his  musket  loaded.  Hewson  sent  to 
warn  the  adjutant.  Lieutenant  Baugh,  and  walked  to  the  parade-ground. 
The  sepoy  was  marching  up  and  down  in  front  of  the  quarter-guard,  call- 
ing upon  his  comrades  to  aid  him  and  strike  a  blow  for  their  religion. 
Catching  sight  of  the  Englishman,  he  fired  at  him,  but  without  effect. 
Presently  the  adjutant  rode  up  and  cried,  '  Where  is  he,  where  is  he?' 
•Ride  to  the  right,  sir,  for  your  life,'  shouted  Hewson,  "the  sepoy  will  fire 
at  you.'  The  words  were  hardlj'  uttered  when  the  mutineer  fired  at  the 
adjutant  from  behind  the  shelter  of  the  station  gun,  and  bi ought  his 
horse  to  the  ground.  Baugh  sprang  unhurt  to  his  feet,  advanced  on  the 
mutineer,  and  fired  at  him,  but  missed.  Then  began  a  desperate  hand- 
to-hand  encounter.  The  mutineer  drew  his  tulwar,  and  slashed  the 
Adjutant  across  his  left  hand  and  neck.  Hewson  rushed  to  support  his 
ofiBcer ;  but  the  sepoy  was  a  match  for  both.  Hard  by  stood  the 
guard  of  twenty  sepoys  looking  on  unconcerned :  while  their  jemadar 
made  no  attempt  to  bring  them  forward,  and  even  suffered  them  to 
strike  their  helpless  oflReers  with  the  butt-ends  of  their  muskets.  One 
man  only,  a  Mahomedan  named  Shaikh  Palther,  came  to  help  the 
struggling  Europeans  and  held  the  mutineer  while  they  escaped.  Mean- 
while other  European  oflScers  were  huriying  to  the  spot.  One  of  them, 
Colonel  Wheeler  of  the  34th,  ordered  the  guard  to  seize  the  mutineer ; 
but  no  one  obeyed  'lim.  Then  Grant,  the  Brigadier  of  the  station, 
interposed  his  supeno.'  authority ;  but  still  the  guard  paid  no  heed.  The 
solitary  but  successful  mutineer  was  still  taunting  his  comrades  for  allowing 
himto  fight  their  battles  unaided;  the  British  officers.their  authority  despised 
were  still  looking  helplessly  on,  when  their  chief  with  his  two  sons  rode  up  at 


BARRACKPORE.  229 

a  gallop  to  the  ground.  Indignantly  he  asked  his  officers  why  they  had  not 
arrested  the  mutineer.  Thej-  answered  that  the  guard  would  not  obey  their 
orders.  'AVe'll  see  to  that,'  answered  Hearsay,  and  descrying  the  mutineer 
he  rode  towards  the  quarter-guard.  His  musl<et  is  loaded,'  cried  an  officer, 
'Damn  his  musket,' answered  Hearsay  :  and  then  turning  to  the  jemadar,  and 
significantly  shaking  liis  revolvei-.  he  said,  "Listen  to  me  :  the  first  man  who 
refuses  to  march  when  I  give  the  word  is  a  dead  man.  Quick  msirch  I '  Sul- 
lenly the  guard  .submitted,  and  followed  their  master  to  arrest  Mungul  Pandy, 
but  he  too  saw  that  the  day  was  lost,  and  in  despair  turned  his  musket 
against  himself.  He  fell  wounded,  but  he  did  not  save  himself  from  a  felon's 
death." 

On  March  the  19th,  the  mutinous  19th  Regiment  were 
disbanded  at  Barrackpore,  but  the  far  more  violently 
inclined  S-lth  obtained  a  long  spell  of  grace,  thanks  to  the 
pedantry  of  Lord  Canning.  Mungul  Pandy  was  executed 
on  April  the  8th,  and  the  recusant  jemadar  on  the  21st, 
but  the  men  who  had  committed  an  outrage  on  the 
persons  of  their  officers  escaped  unpunished  in  the  dis- 
bandment  of  the  34^h  five  whole  weeks  after  the  crime. 
The  story  of  the  Mutiny— the  vigour  of  the  experienced 
officers,  the  red-tape  of  the  controlHng  power — lies  in  a 
nutshell  here. 

Leaving  the  Parade-ground,  we  will  visit  the  Church. 
Up  to  August  11th,  1788,  Bengal  was  a  parish,  and 
St  John's  was  its  parish  Church.  On  that  day,  how- 
ever, the  ' '  parish  of  Bengal  ' '  was  divided  into  eight 
portions — the  Presidency,  the  Garrison  of  Fort  William, 
Barrackpore,  Dinapore.  Chnnar,  Berhampore,  Fategarh. 
and  Cawnpore.  Since  1788,  Barrackpore  has,  with  not 
a  few  wide  intervals  between  the  links,  a  succession  of 
Chaplains.  In  the  Ust  stands  the  honoured  name  of 
Claudius  Buchanan. 

"The  Government  ch.aplaincies  were  therefore  the  only  opportunity  in 
Simeon's  hands,  and  now,  having  the  influence  of  the  C'laphamites  to  support 
him — powerful  persons  at  the  India  House.  Loid  Teignmouth.  Thornton  and 
Grant — Simeon  was  able  to  find  scope  for  his  disciples  in  Bengal.  The  ear- 
liest of  these  Anglo-Indian  disciples  was  Claudius  Buchanan,  whose  best  monu- 
ment is  the  See  of  Calcutta,  which  he,  more  than  any  other,  labouied  to  found. 
At  the  age  of  seventeen,  Buchanan,  in  imitation  of  Goldsmith,  had  wandered 
from  Scotland  to  England,  bent  on  a  tour  on  foot  through  Europe,  during 
which  his  faithful  fiddle  was  to  earn  the  night's  rest  and  lefreshment.  He 
got  no  further  than  London  whence  he  addressed  letters  to  his  mother  dated 
■  Prom  Plorence. '  He  describes  his  life  there  as  very  dissipated,  irreli- 
gious.' but  added,  some  gross  sins  I  avoided.'  After  months  of  poverty 
he  found  employment  with  a  solicitor,  and  while  so  employed  came  under  the 
powerful  influence  o.f  Newton,  the  Rectpr  of  St.  Mary,  Wpolnoth.    ^t  w?is  iioy 


230  GUIDE    TO    CALCUTTA. 

hat  he  passed  through  the  pangs  of  'conversion,'  and  his  mind  turned  to 
the  idea  of  taking  Holy  Orders — not  as  he  had  once  thought  in  the  Presby- 
terian Kirk — but  in  the  Church  of  England.  A  generous  friend,  Henry 
Thornton,  well  known  in  the  annals  of  the  Clapham  Sect,  determined  to  send 
so  promising  a  candidate  to  the  University  of  Cambridge,  where  indue  course 
Buchanan  became  enrolled  among  the  disciples  of  Charles  Simeon.  After 
election  to  a  fellowship,  he  was  ordained  de;icon  by  Bishop  Porteous  of 
London,  on  Sunday,  September  20th,  1795,  and  on  March  30th,  doubtless 
through  the  influence  of  Charles  Grant,  was  appointed  to  a  chaplaincy  of  the 
East  India  Company.  Ordination  to  the  priesthood  followed  on  this 
appointment,  and  on  August  11th  he  embarked  on  board  the  East  Indiaman 
Bushridge  bound  for  Bengal.  To  describe  in  detail  his  work  in  India — his 
courageous  championship  of  the  missionary  cause,  his  plans  for  creating 
an  interest  in  the  work  at  home,  his  bold  protest  against  laxity  even  on 
the  part  of  the  highest  in  the  land,  his  journies  to  visit  the  ancient  Church 
of  Malabar,  his  plea  for  the  establishment  of  an  Indian  Episcopate,  is  a 
task  which  still  needs  to  be  performed."  The  Rev.  W.  K.  Fiipiinger  :  "The 
Evangelical  Chaplains." 

There  is  a  tradition  that  the  present  Church,  dedicated 
to  St.  Bartholomew,  and  consecrated  on  the  festival  of 
that  Saint  by  Bishop  Wilson  in  1847,  was  originally  the 
Assembly  Rooms  of  the  station.  The  Chancel,  Tower,  and 
Western  Porch  are  certainly  later  additions,  and,  I  believe, 
date  back  to  1868.  In  the  year  after  the  Mutiny  it  was 
proposed  to  erect  an  entirely  new  Church,  for  St.  Bartholo- 
mew's was  much  too  small  to  be  able  to  accommodate 
the  European  Troops  then  numbering  1,500  in  strength, 
and  the  parade  services  for  this  reason  had  been 
eld  not  in  the  Church,  "but  in  an  inconvenient 
room  in  the  barracks."  Several  plans  were  suggested  by 
Mr.  Justice  Bayley  and  others,  but  in  the  end  the  existing 
Church  was  enlarged  and  was  formally  re-opened  by  the 
Bishop  of  Calcutta  (Dr.  Milman)  on  29th  December  1868. 
It  appears  that  down  to  1868  the  Church  liad  cost 
Rs.  42,565,  of  whicn  Rs.  20,000  had  been  contributed  by 
Government  and  Rs.  22,565  by  Church  of  England  Societies 
and  private  subscribers.  Since  1868  large  sums  derived 
from  private  sources  have  been  raised  and  expended  in 
fittings. 

In  1872,  during  the  chaplaincy  of  Mr,  Popham-Blyth, 
now  Anglican  Bishop  in  Jerusalem,  the  peal  of  three  bells 
was  .set  up,  the  largest  liell  bearing  the  inscription,  "Tell 
it  out  among  the  heathen  that  the  Lord  is  King."  In  the 
list  of  Church  possessions  dated  24th  August  1847,  the  date 
of  the  cpnsecration  of  the  Church,  there  opcurs  the  entry  of 


BARRACKPOKB   PAKK.  231 

"a  flute  for  Psalmo(]y."  In  1848  an  Organ  was  purchased 
for  Rs.  2,000,  of  which  Lord  Dalhousie,  the  Governoi'-Gene- 
ral,  gave  Rs.  1,000.  Tliis  seems  to  have  been  sold  and  an 
Harmonium  purchased  in  its  stead,  but  in  1870  the  present 
Organ  was  brought  into  use,  the  cost  of  it  being  about 
Rs.  4,000. 

The  Font  in  the  Transept  was  the  gift  of  Lord  Ellen- 
borough  :  the  handsome  Eagle  Lectern  was  the  gift  of  a 
Native  Christian  lady  and  is  dedicated  to  the  memory 
of  her  husband. 

In  the  compound  there  is  a  school- room  which  repre- 
sents a  generous  gift  from  Lord  EUenborough  in  1844, 
and  the  further  exertions  of  Mr.  Justice  Bay  ley  in  1868. 
Close  to  it  is  the  Clerk's  house. 

We  now  take  our  way  to  Barrackpore  Park.  About  200 
yards  West  of  Government  House  and  close  to  the  river, 
is  the  hall  built  by  the  Earl  of  Minto  in  1813  "to  the 
memory  of  the  brave."  The  inscriptions  commemorate 
the  officers  who  fell  at  the  conquest  of  Java  in  1811,  the 
Isle  of  France,  1810,  and  Maharajpoor  and  Puniar  in  1843. 

In  the  days  of  Sir  John  Macpherson  (Governor-General 
of  Fort  William,  1785—86)  and  Lord  Cornwallis  (1786— 
1793  and  1805),  Barrackpore  was  the  Countty  Seat  of  the 
Governor-General  During  liis  term  of  office  (1793 — 98) 
Sir  John  Shore  handed  over  the  bungalow  to  the  Com- 
mander-in-Chief, receiving  from  him  in  return  £5,000  per 
annum  and  wherewitli  to  rent  another  residence.  In 
June  1801  we  find  Lord  Wellesley  writing  :  "I  have  been 
very  well  since  Henry's  arrival,  residing  almost  entirely 
at  Barrackpur,  a  charming  spot,  which,  in  my  usual  spirit 
of  tyrann}',  I  have  filched  from  the  Commander-in-Chief." 
The  original  bungalow  had  fallen  into  a  state  of  much 
disrepair.  Lord  Wellesley,  therefore,  had  it  dismantled, 
and  commenced  a  givat  new  palace  which  was  to  have  cost 
34  lakhs.  At  this  point  the  Court  of  Director.s  intervened 
and  placed  a  veto  on  the  expenditure  :  tlie  building  was 
stopped  and  in  Lord  Hastings'  days  all  traces  of 
Wellesley's  intended  palace  were  finally  removed.  In  the 
meanwhile  the  temporary  building,  which  Wellesley  had 
■set  up  to  serve  his  purpo.se  while  the  great  palace  was  in 
poyrse   uf    erection,    liacl    beep  enlarged   popsic^erably   by 


232  GUIDE   TO    CALCUTTA. 

Lord  Minto  (1807 — 1813),  in  Lord  Hastings'  times  it  was 
shaped  into  the  present  Government  House. 

Enthusiastic  descriptions  of  this  quiet  place  of  retreat 
and  its  noble  park  will  be  found  in  the  published  lives 
and  letters  of  successive  Viceroys  and  their  wives,  but 
there  are  still  very  mingled  associations  which  weigh 
on  our  minds  as  we  wander  through  these  cool  halls. 
Here  in  December  1826  Lady  Amherst  wrote  "  this 
year,  full  of  momentous  events,  has  drawn  to  a  close. 
Upon  the  whole  the  most  miserable  of  my  life." 

"While  Lord  Amherst  was  labouring  day  and  night  for  his  employers,  in 
measures  that  have  since  proved  to  be  highly  advantageous  to  their  interest, 
and  for  the  prosperity  of  the  country  entrusted  to  their  care,  they  were  listen- 
ing to  base  falsehoods,  and  to  the  base  intrigues  to  recall  him To  this 

day,  December  the  31st,  1826,  Lord  Amherst  has  not  received  aline  from  these 
gentlemen,  notwithstanding  all  the  great  and  glorious  events  which   have 

occurred I  used  to  try  to  console  Lord  Amheist  by  saying  so  long  as 

it  pleases  God  to  grant  our  children  and  ourselves  tolerable  health,  we  mu.st 
be  thankful.  That  great  luminary,  truth,  must  in  time  bring  all  things  to 
light;  but  the  heavy  and  awful  visitation  of  the  sudden  and  very  unexpected 
removal  of  our  beloved  Jeff  overset  us.  This  death  was  the  bitterest  pang 
I  ever  felt  and  shall  continue  to  feel  as  long  as  I  live."  Quoted  in  Lord 
Amherst     ["Rulers  of  India"  Series.]     Pp.  162-3. 

The  son  here  mentioned  lies  buried  in  the  oldest  of  the 
Barrackpore  cemeteries.  He  had,  as  a  lad  of  thirteen, 
accompanied  his  father  on  the  embassy  to  China  in  1816, 
and  in  1823,  now  a  Captain  in  His  Majesty's  Army, 
came  to  India  to  be  Mihtary  Secretary  to  his  father. 

As  we  look  over  the  Park  southwards  we  can  catch  a 
glimpse  of  the  marble  tomb  beneath  which  lie  the  mortal 
remains  of  the   Countess  of  Canning. 

Here  too  we  think  of  poor  Lord  Minto. 

"Grudging  every  hour  of  delay  which  kept  him  from  the  wife  who  was  waiting 
for  him  in  the  old  Scottish  home.  He  reached  England  :  he  left  London  :  but 
never  on  earth  was  the  longed-for  meeting  to  be.  "When  in  process  of  time, 
it  became  the  part  of  another  generation  to  open  the  places  that  were  closed, 
and  when  to  those  who  did  so  came  the  desire  to  .show  the  image  of  a  voice 
and  make  green  the  flowers  that  were  withered',  the  last  years'  letters  from 
Minto  to  India — so  full  of  hope  or  joy — were  found  tied  together  with  a  black 
string,  and  inscribed  poor  fools'.  With  these  was  a  note  with  an  unbroken 
seal,  the  last  written  by  Lady  Minto  to  her  husband."     Lord  Amher.^t.  p.  208. 

Of  the  House  the  description  written  by  Heber  some 
eighty  years  ago  is  still  a  true  account. 

"The  house  itself  of  Barrackpore  is  handsome,  containing  three  fine  sitting 
rooms,  though  but  few  bed-chapibers.     Indeed,  as  in  this  climate  no  sleeping 


BARRACKPORE  PAKK.  233 

rooms  care  even  tolerable,  unless  they  admit  the  southern  breeze,  there  can  be 
but  few  in  any  house.  Accordingly,  that  of  Barrackpore  barely  accommo- 
dates Lord  Amherst's  own  family  ;  and  his  aides-de-camp  and  visitors  sleep 
in  bungalows,  built  at  some  little  distance  from  it  in  the  Park."  Journal, 
Vol.  1.  pp.  3.5-36. 

It  was  in  the  Park  that  the  poet-bishop  first  mounted 
an  elephant — "the  motion  of  which,"  he  confesses, 
"I  thought  far  from  disagreeable,  though  very  different 
from  that  of  a  horse."  The  Bishop  gives  an  amusing 
account  of  the  strange  animals  which,  until  the  Calcutta 
Zoological  Gardens  were  formed,  found  congenial  homes 
in  Barrackpore  Park. 

A  covered  way  leads  down  from  the  house  to  the  land- 
ing stage.  In  the  South  corner  of  the  grounds  will  be 
found  a  small  spot  of  railed  off  ground,  in  which  is 
buried  the  noble  wife  of  "Clemency"  Canning.  Early 
in  March  1862,  previous  to  Lord  Canning's  departure 
(March  18),  Bishop  Cotton  consecrated  this  spot, 
henceforth  to  be  set  apart,  as  the  petition  for  consecra- 
tion declared,  "for  the  famihes  of  the  Governor-Generals 
of  India." 

When  all  was  concluded.  Lord  Canning  kindly  gieeted  the  few  present ;  he 
turned  to  the  Bishop  and  said,  I  think  the  ground  is  large  enough  to  justify 
consecration.'  and  then  walked  slowly  and  alone  to  the  desolate  house 
hard  by."     Memoir  of  S.  E.  L.  CoUon,  D.D.     P.  289. 

In  the  Park  there  is  an  excellent  golf  links  much 
resorted  to  by  Calcutta  folk,  and  closer  to  the  house 
there  is  a  vast  banyan  tree  beneath  whose  shade  many 
a   viceregal  tiffin-party  has  assembled. 

An  interesting  day's  trip  may  well  be  concluded  by 
leaving  the  Park  by  the  South  Gate,  and  driving  past  a 
picturesque  Hindu  Temple  to  Tittaghur  *  The  Paper 
Mills  here  will  be  of  the  greatest  interest  to  those  who 
have  not  before  seen  paper  in  course  of  manufacture. 
At  one  end  of  a  long  row  of  machines  we  see  rough 
material  with  the  bleached  ingredients  in  a  beater  furnished 
with  revolving  blades  to  cut  the  material  fine  :  we  next 
see  a  thin  white  fluid  pouriiig  itself  into  a  machine 
whence  it  emerges,  if  not  quite  solid,  yet  nearly  as  much 


*  for  Tittaghur  see  the  next  Chapt«T 


234  GUIDE    TO    CALCUTTA. 

SO  as  a  London  fog.  Ultimately  we  see  what,  but  a  few 
yards  before  looked  like  potato  soup,  wound  off  as 
paper  on  the  last  of  the  series  of  machines.  Nothing 
comes  so  near  to  the  famous  machine  into  which  decayed 
horses  and  masterless  dogs  are  driven  at  one  end,  and 
tins  of  potted  flesh,  fish,  or  fowl,  sealed  and  labelled, 
are  delivered  at  the  other.  Dominie  Sampson  would 
supply  the  appropriate  word — "prodigious." 

The  next  thing  to  be  done  is  to  catch  a  convenient 
train  back  to  Calcutta  from  Tittaghur  Railway  Station — 
it  will  be  a  slow  train  ;  or  else  to  drive  back  to  Barrack- 
pore,  and  tiflfin,  if  we  have  not  already  done  so,  at  the 
Charnock  Hotel. 


CHAPTER  II. 

River  Trip  No.  2.     Bandel,   Hdghli,  Chinsurah, 
Chandernagore,  etc.,  etc. 

We  start  once  again  from  the  Hatkola  Ghat.  This 
morning  we  will  keep  a  sharp  look-out  over  the  river  bank 
to  our  right.  We  pass  a  number  of  ghats  or  landing  places 
each  of  which  would  be  of  interest  if  only  some  record  had 
been  kept  to  make  us  feel  quite  sure  of  their  identification. 
Sobha  Bazar  Ghat  is  the  landing  stage  for  the  old  Mahomme- 
dan  Government  (Subah  hence  Sobha)  market.  Bonomali 
Sircar's  Ghat  [on  the  map  Kumartoli  Ghat]  recalls  the 
memory  of  a  long  vanished  family,  whose  house  in  the 
neighbourhood  was  a  proverb  to  old  Calcutta  residents  : — 

"  Who  does  not  know  Govindram's  club, 
Or  the  house  of  Bonamalee  Sirkar, 
Or  the  beard  of  Omichand?" 

Following  the  street  which  runs  up  from  the  ghat  to  the 
Chitpore  Road  we  should  once  have  found  the  great  Chit- 
pore  Pagoda — the  "five  jew^els"  erected  by  Govindaram 
Mittra,  the  "Black  Zemindar"  of  Calcutta  in  Holwell's  day. 
The  cupola  of  this  Temple  for  many  years  ' '  was  the 
most  conspicuous  object  in  the  city,  over  which  it  towered 
as  the  dome  of  St.  Paul's  does  over  the  City  of  London." 
About  1820,  however,  the  cupola  fell  in  with  a  sudden  crash. 
Where  the  Chitpore  Road  runs  into  the  Strand  is  the  Bag 
Bazar  and  its  ghat — once  known  as  Roghoo  Mittra 's  Ghat 
in  memory  of  a  son  of  Omichand. 

We  now  pass  the  hydraulic  Hft-bridge  which  crosses 
the  Chitpore  Canal — the  Canal  which,  as  we  have  said, 
marks  the  course  of  the  Mahratta  Ditch. 

Chitpore  represents  an  ancient  Hindu  village,  and 
derives  its  name  from  Chitreswari  or  Kah.  Here,  in 
bygone    days,    was    the    garden-house   qf    the    so-called 


236  GUIDE    TO    CALCUTTA. 

"  Chitpore  Nabobs" — the  descendants  of  Mahomed  Reza 
Khan  who  played  so  large  a  part  in  the  story  of  Warren 
Hastings. 

"The  buildings  and  gardens  were  magnificent;  and  the  Nawab  Reza  Khan 
lived  on  intimate  terms  with  the  sahih-lok,  inviting  them  to  his  palace,  and 
presenting  a  fine  object,  mounted  on  his  splendid  elephant  and  attended  by 
a  guard  of  honour.  When  the  foreign  governors  came  down  from  Serampore, 
Chandernagore,  Chinsurah,  they  landed  at  Chitpur.  where  a  de])utation  re- 
ceived them,  and  thev  then  rode  instate  up  to  Government  House."  Long 
in  the  falrutta  Review.  Vol.  XVIII.  p.  .WS. 

The  Calcutta  Gazette  of  September  14tb,  1820,  gives  a 
somewhat  mendacious  description  of  the  leave-taking  of 
"H.  H.  the  Nabob  Delauver  Jung  Bahadoor  (generally 
knowii  as  the  Nabob  of  Chitpore),"  when  ''after  twenty- 
eight  years  of  residence  at  Chitpore,  the  great  man  went 
to  bid  farewell  to  Lord  Hastings  at  Government  House." 

Chitpore,  it  may  be  added,  possessed,  and  perhaps  still 
possesses,  a  temple  once  infamous  for  the  frequency  of 
human   sacrifices  within  its  courts. 

Cossipore,  the  next  village,  was  once  the  country  resi- 
dence of  Sir  R.  Chambers,  one  of  the  first  Puisne  Judges  ap- 
pointed to  the  Supreme  Court  in  1774.  Those  who  know 
their  Boswell  will  remember  how,  on  leaving  Chambers' 
rooms  in  the  Temple,  the  great  Doctor  went  into  such  con- 
vulsions of  laughter  that  he  was  compelled  to  support  him- 
self by  clutching  hold  of  a  post  near  to  the  Temple  gate. 
"  whence  he  sent  forth  peals  so  loud  that  in  the  silence  of 
the  night  his  voice  seemed  to  resound  from  Temple  Bar 
to  Fleet  Street.""*  If  Chambers'  oriental  learning  and  his 
share  in  the  Nuncomar  case  were  forgotten,  his  name 
would  live  in  that  touching  passage  which,  as  Thackeray 
has  so  well  said,  is  a  token  of  Johnson's  "great  and  wise  i 
benevolence  and   noble  mercifulness  of  heart. 

"  Chambers,  you  find,  is  gone  far,  and  poor  Goldsmith  is  gone  much  furtlier. 
He  died  of  a  fever,  exasperated,  I  believe,  by  the  fear  of  distress.     He  raised     | 
money  and  squandered  it  by  every  artifice  of  acquisition  and  foll3-  of  expense    I 
— but  let  not  his  failings  be  remembered,  he  was  a   very  great  man." 

Chambers  became  Chief  Justice  in  1791,  and  eight  years 
later    he   died    in  Paris,  1803  :   his  body  was  buried  in  the 

*  i.e.,  to  Calcutta.  Chambers  brought  with  him  a  letter  of  introduction  tP 
\\'arreii  Hastinas  from  Dr.  Johnson. 


JUTE.  237 

Temple  Church.  His  House  at  Cossipore  became  the  pro- 
perty of  Messrs.   Kellsall  and  Pother. 

The  river  bank  is  now  crowded  with  picturesque  temples 
and  unpicturesque  factories,  mills,  and  hydraulic  presses. 
We  take  it  for  granted  that  the  reader,  unless  he  be  a 
speciahst  in  engineering,  will  not  care  to  spend  much  time 
in  studying  in  Bengal  mechanical  inventions  which  can 
be  easily  inspected  in  England.  A  visit  to  a  jute  mill 
should  not  be  foregone.  To  write  about  Calcutta  without 
saying  a  word  about  jute  would  be  as  bad  as  to  deprive  the 
lamb  of  its  mint  sauce.  So  long  ago  as  1795,  however, 
Roxeburgh  called  attention  to  the  commercial  value  of  the 
now  famous  Bengal  plant,  which  he  grew  in  the  Botanical 
Gardens  at  Sibpur,  and  named  jute  after  the  language  of 
his  Oriya  malis.  But  even  in  1851,  jute  was  practically 
unknown,  and  it  was  the  Crimean  War,  which  cutting  off 
supphes  of  Russian  hemp  and  flax  from  the  weavers  of 
Forfarshire,  created  the  demand  for  jute. 

In  order  to  ^ive  some  idea  of  the  extent  of  tl)e  jute 
industry  in  Bengal,  we  make  the  following  quotation  from 
Mr.  R.  J.  Finlow's  contribution  to  a  conference  of  the 
Board  of  Agriculture  held  at  Pusa  in  1904  : — 

The  area  under  jute  in  1904  was  2,850,000  acres,  of  which  750,000 
acres  are  in  Mymensingh  and  400,000  in  Rungpore.  The  normal  yield 
may  be  taken  at  15  maunds  per  acre  and  the  price  at  Rs.  5  per  maund, 
so  that  the  annual  yield  may  amount  to  nearly  1,600,000  (sixteen  hundred 
thousand)  tons,  and  the  value  to  over  £14,000,000.  The  area  under 
jute  cultivation  has  increased  by  25  per  cent,  during  the  last  ten  years. 

There  are  practically  only  two  kinds  of  jute  grown,  viz.,  Corchorus 
Capsularis  and  Corchorus  Olitorius.  C.  Capsularis  stands  water-logging 
better  than  C.  Olitorius,  and  so  the  former  is  found  in  the  low-lying 
lands,  while  the  latter  grows  in  the  higher  lands,  especially  where  the 
soil  is  heavy.  It  is  said  that  the  fibre  of  C.  Olitorius  is  coarser  than 
that  of  C.  Capsularis  ;  but  there  does  not  appear  to  be  conclusive  evidence 
on  this  point. 

Practically  the  whole  of  the  land  under  jute  in  Bengal  is  alluvial,  being 
part  of  the  Indo-Gangetic  plain.  Some  of  the  lands  are  high,  e.g.,  in 
Mymen«ingh  and  some  are  low,  e.g.,  in  Serajgunj.  The  lower  lands  are 
inundated  annually  during  the  rainy  season  by  the  rivers  Ganges  and 
Brahmaputra,  up  to  a  depth  of  5  feet  or  more.  They  thus  receive  a 
yearly  deposit  of  silt,  which  must  tend  to  keep  the  soil  in  a  fertile  condi- 
tion. The  rainfall  is  heavy  over  the  whole  of  the  jute-growing  area, 
being  from  60 — 70  in.  per  annum,  and  during  the  growing  season,  viz., 
from  April  to  August,  temperature  is  high,  a  hot  moist  atmosphere  being 
the  result.  Altogether  there  are  considerable  differences  in  the  textures 
of  the  soils  upon  which  jnte  is  grown,  some  being  moderately  coarse 
pand  and  others  exceedingly  fine  silt :  yet  there  is  no  land  in  the  jute 


238  GUIDE   TO   CALCUTTA. 

districts  of  a  gravelly  and  rocky  nature.  The  general  opinion,  based  on 
observation,  is  that  the  best  jute  is  obtained  from  the  heavier  soils  and 
that  the  fibre  produced  on  sandy  land  is  apt  to  become  coarse  and 
stunted. 

The  village  of  Barnagore  [Barnagur,  Barnagar]  is  a 
place  where  Hamilton  in  1706  found  that  the  Dutch  poss- 
essed a  house  and  garden.  "The  Dutch  shipping  anchors 
there  sometimes  to  take  in  their  cargoes  for  Batavia."  He 
describes  the  village  as  a  "  school  of  vice."  Streynsham 
Master  in  1767  found  here  a  Dutch  estabhshment  for  kill- 
ing and  salting  hogs.  About  this  time,  the  Mahommedan 
rulers  seem  to  have  ousted  the  European  pork-butchers 
from  Barnagore,  for  after  the  skirmish  between  Charnock's 
troops  and  those  of  the  Governor  at  Huglili,  the  Nabob, 
to  concentrate  hostile  forces  against  the  Enghsh,  re-instated 
the  Dutch.  "Northward  to  near  Barnagore,  eastward 
to  the  Lake  and  southward  to  Kidderpore  ' '  and  ' '  the 
shore  on  the  side  of  the  river  opposite  to  this  place  "  were 
the  extended  bounds  the  English  sought  to  obtain,  through 
Khojah  Sarhard  from  the  Mogul  in  1713.*  Barnagore 
is,  therefore,  an  historical  landmark.  The  noteworthy 
cluster  of  temples,  built  by  Joy  Narayan  Mitra,  are  fami- 
fairly  known  as  "  the  twelve  apostles." 

"  It  is  easy  to  understand ....  why  in  Bengal  the  trabeate  style  was  never 
in  vogue.  The  country  is  practically  without  stone,  or  any  suitable  material 
for  forming  either  pillars  or  beams.  Having  nothing  but  brick,  it  was  almost 
of  necessity  that  they  employed  arches  everywhere,  and  in  every  building 
that  had  any  pretensions  to  permanency.  The  Bengal  style  being,  how- 
ever, the  only  one  wholly  of  brick  in  India  proper,  has  a  local  individuality 
of  its  own,  which  is  curious  and  interesting,  though  from  the  nature  of 
the  materials  deficient  in  many  of  the  higher  qualities  of  art  which  charac- 
terise the  buildings  constructed  with  larger  and  better  materials.  Besides 
elaborating  a  pointed-arched  brick  style  of  their  own,  the  Bengalis  intro- 
duced a  new  form  of  roof,  which  has  had  a  most  important  influence  on  both 
the  Mahomedan  and  Hindu  styles  in  more  modern  times.  As  already 
mentioned  in  describing  the  Ohuttrie  at  Alwar,  the  Bengalis,  taking  advan- 
tage of  the  elasticity  of  the  bamboo,  universally  employ  in  their  dwellings 
a  curvilinear  form  of  roof,  which  has  become  so  familiar  to  their  eyes 
that  they  consider  it  beautiful.  It  is  so  in  fact  when  bamboo  and  thatch 
are  the  materials  employed,  but  when  translated  into  stone  or  brick 
architec.ure,  its  taste  is  more  questionable.  There  is.  however,  so  much 
that  is  conventional  in  architecture,  and  beauty  depends  to  such  an  extent  on 
association,  that  strangers  are  hardly  fair  judges  in  cases  of  this  sort.  Be 
this  as  it  may,  certain  it  is,  at  all  events  that  after  being  elaborated  into  a 


Wilson  :  The  English  in  Bengal,  Vol.  II,  p.'168. 


RIVERSIDE   VILLAGBSt  239 

feature  of  pfomincnt  architecture  in  Bengal,  this  curvilinear  form  found  its 
waj'inthe  17th  century  to  Delhi,  and  in  the  I8th  to  Lahore,  and  all  the 
intermediate  buildings  from,  say  A.  D.  1650,  betray  its  presence  to  a 
greater  less  extent.  It  is  a  curious  illustration,  however,  of  howmuchthere 
is  in  architecture  that  is  conventional  and  how  far  familiarity  may  render 
that  beautiful  which  is  not  so  abstractedly,  that  while  to  the  European  eye 
this  form  always  remains  unpleasing,  to  the  native  eye — Hindu  or  Maho- 
medan — it  is  the  most  elegant  of  modern  inventions."  Fergusson  :  HiHoru 
of  Mudern  and  Eastern  Architecture,  pp.  645-6. 

The  village  of  Dakhineshar  (Dakshine^ar),  where  the 
Nabobs  of  Chitpore  once  hunted  tigers,  is  passed  and. 
to  the  north  of  it  we  note  a  powder  magazine.  The  white 
walls  of  a  Christian  Church  tell  us  that  we  are  passing 
Agarpara — a  centre  of  the  zenana  work  of  the  Church 
Missionary  Society.  The  Mission  House,  the  Church,  and 
the  School  owe  their  existence  to  a  famous  Lady  Mission- 
ary— Mrs.  Wilson.  The  Church  lost  its  tower  in  the  earth- 
quake of  1897. 

The  names  of  the  riverside  villages  recall  the  times 
when  the  great  tidal  swamp  was  retreating  and  leaving 
habitable  places  in  Bengal.  Sooksagar  far  up  the  river — 
where  Warren  Hastings  had  a  bungalow* — is  the  "dried-up 
sea."  Ariyadar  (Agarpara)  is  "  the  island  of  Aryans,"  near 
Barnagore,  the  "place  of  wild  boars."  Khardaha,  or  Khur- 
dah,  to  which  we  are  just  coming,  is  the  "spear-shaped 
island.  "  To  Hindus  Khurdah  is  eminent  for  its  Rass 
temple,  built  by  the  C4ossains,  the  descendants  of  Nitya- 
nundu,  a  disciple  of  Caitanya,  the  founder  of  one  of  the  six 
principal  sects  of  Vaishnavism.  The  chief  image  here — 
that  of  Samsoonder — is  or  was  said  to  be  a  portion  of  the 
famous  stone  brought  by  Roodra  from  Gour.  Half  a  mile 
higher  up  the  river  we  pass  a  cluster  of  twenty-four  tem- 
ples, erected  by  the  Bisw^as  family,  and  dedicated  to  Siva. 

It  will  hardly  be  credited,  yet  it  is  a  fact,  that  Tittaghur 
was  once  the  site  of  a  busy  dockyard.  Here  in  1801, 
Messrs-  Hamilton  and  Alexander  launched  a  vessel  of 
1.445  tons — The  Countess  of  Sutherland.  Years  ago 
Titaghur  was  the  scene  of  the  Company's  experimental 
garden  and  comprised  300  bighas  of  land  carefully  tended 
by    a     distinguished     botanist,     Dr.    Nathaniel   WalUch. 

•  Submerged  by  the  river  about  1861.  A  picture  of  it  will  be  found  in 
Rurai  Life  in  Bengal. 


240  GUIDE   TO   CALCUTTA. 

In  tliis  garden  were  four  houses ;  one  of  these  was  once 
occupied  by  Sir  J.  P.  Grant;  another,  the  furthest  to 
the  north,  is  named  Combermere  Lodge  in  honour  of  the 
conqueror  of  Bhurtpore.  Heber  for  a  time  Hved  in  the 
house  that  belonged  to  Dr.  Walhch.  Bishop  Wilson  occu- 
pied another  known  as  "the  Hive." 

"A  stone's  throw  from  the  site  of  the  old  dockyard  is  a  gh3.t  with  some  old 
dilapidated  temples  above  it,  which  will  long  be  remembered  as  the  place 
where  for  thirty  years  Dr.  Carey  lauded  and  embarked  as  he  went  down  to 
Calcutta  and  returned  from  it  twice  a  week  to  deliver  lectures  in  Fort  William 
College.  A  zigzag  road  connects  the  ghat  with  the  great  Barraokpore  road, 
which  the  Doctor  was  obliged  to  traverse,  and  on  the  west  of  it.  a  little  over  the 
bridge,  stands  -a  pucka  house,  which  he  said  he  seldom  passed  without  a  feeling 
of  horror.  It  was  built  by  a  family  who  were  hereditary  phassegars.  as  they 
were  then  called,  and  whose  wealth  had  been  accumulated  by  murder.  He 
often  described  the  mode  in  which  they  assassinated  their  victims  by  means 
of  a  rope,  many  j^eari,  before  Colonel  Sleeman  had  laid  bare  the  practices  and 
the  ramiflcations  of  the  Thug  confederacy  or  had  entered  on  the  duty  of 
breakin"  it  up.  The  family  to  whom  the  house  belonged  were  known  and 
dreaded^as  Thugs."      ).  C'.  .Marshnian  :  Calcutta    Review,\o\.  Ill,  p.  495. 

Barraokpore  has  been  dealt  with  in  a  previous  chapter. 
We  shortly,  as  the  river  bends  eastward,  pass  the  Phulta 
water-works  which  supply  Calcutta  with  drinking  water. 
Close  to  the  works  is  the  village  of  Monirampur.  Here 
dwelt  John  Prinsep — the  founder  of  a  family  which  has 
had  an  important  place  in  me  history  of  British  Bengal. 
Brought  up  to  the  cloth  trade,  John  Prinsep  in  1769  re- 
ceived the  thanks  of  the  H.  E.  I.  Co.  for  the  information 
he  had  supplied  relative  to  the  improvement  of  their  fab- 
rics. In  1771  he  arrived  as  a  cadet  in  Bengal,  but  soon 
resigned  the  service  :  two  years  later  he  became  one  of  the 
Aldermen  of  the  Mayor's  Court.  For  some  years  he  was 
Assistant  Superintendent  of  Investments.  Here  Sir 
Philip  Francis  was  a  frequent  guest. 

"Durinc  hi!' residence  of  sevcntcmi  ycarsir.  India  h'-  (Piinsep)  «as  employed 
in  the  most  active  and  useful  undertakings.  He  -,vas  for  ten  years  contractor 
for  the  chintz  investn.ent  of  the  Company;  and  if  he  did  not  originate  the 
manufacture,  he  contributed  in  no  small  degree  to  its  improvement.  It  was 
by  the  workmen  drawn  from  the  establishment  he  had  set  up  at  Munecrampore 
[Monirampur].  that  the  wooden  blocks  with  which  Dr.  Marshnian  printed  the 
first  edition  of  the  Chinese  Xew  Testament  were  engraved.  But  that  which 
renders  his  name    particularly   memorable  in    India,  is  the    manufacture  of 

indigo,  which  he  intrcduced  into  Bengal Latterly  he  turned  his  fertile 

mind  to  the  coinage,  and  contracted  with  Government  for  the  supply  of 
the  first  copper  coiuagp  ever  struck  in  Bengal."  Marshman  :  Op.  cit., 
pp.  4fil-2. 


ISHAPORE.  241 

This  Mint  was  at  Phulta,  the  next  village  to  the  north. 
Prinsep  handed  over  his  tools  to  the  Government  in  1784, 
receiving  in  return  an  indemnity  "two-thirds  short  of  his 
real  disbursement.  "  In  a  house  at  the  North  of  Moni- 
rampur  once  lived  old  General  Marley,  who  arrived  in 
India  in  1771,  and  died  here  in  1842. 

At  Ishapore  there  is  a  Powder  Factory.  The  resi- 
dence of  the  officer  in  charge  was  at  one  time  the  home  of 
John  Farquhar  of  Font  Hill  (died  July  6,  1826,  aged  72,) 
who,  according  to  tradition,  amassed  a  fortune  of  eighty 
lakhs  of  rupees,  and  yet  "contracted  with  the  solitary  ser- 
vant of  his  house  to  supply  his  table  for  two  annas  a  day. ' ' 
It  is  also  stated  that  "this  prince  of  Indian  misers' '  offered 
£100^000  to  a  Scotch  University  as  an  endowment  for  a 
Professor  of  Atheism.  Despite  his  parsimony,  Farquhar 
was  a  liberal  supporter  of  his  relatives,  and,  the  professor- 
ship yarn  apart,  a  benefactor  of  the  Marischal  College, 
Aberdeen.  He  came  to  India  as  a  Cadet  in  the  Bombay 
Army  and  ultimately  was  appointed  Agent  for  Gunpowder 
in  Bengal. 

"A  little  below  Ishapore  House  is  the  ferry,  well  known  to  most  persons 
coming  from  the  city  as  Pulta  Ghtlt,  the  terminus,  generally  speaking,  of  car- 
riage or  buggy  journeyings  from  Calcutta,  as  travellers  heie  cross  the  river  in 
order  to  get  into  the  trreat  public  north-west  dak  roads.  The  opposite  shore 
of  the  ferry  is  marked  by  two  tombs,  one  of  which  is  said  to  have  been  erected 
to  the  memory  of  an  Englishman  who  was  murdered.  Here  I  believe  will  be 
found  the  first  of  the  dak  bungalows,  erected  for  the  convenience  of  travellers." 
Rural  Life  in  Bengal,  1860. 

A  little  above  Ishapore  we  pass  the  site  of — 

'an  ancient  German  settlement,  Bankipur,*  the  scene  of  an  enterprise  on 
which  the  eyes  of  European  statesmen  were  once  malevolently  fixed.  No 
trace  of  it  now  survives,  its  very  name  has  disappeared  from  the  maps,  and 
can  only  be  found  in  a  chart  of  the  last  century.  Carlyle,  with  picturesque 
inaccuracy,  describes  that  enterprise  as  the  Third  Shadow  Hunt  of  Emperor 
Karl  the  Sixth.  'The  Kaisar's  Imperial  Ostend  East  India  Company,  he  says, 
which  convulsed  the  diplomatic  mind  for  seven  j'ears  to  come,  and  made  Europe 
lurch  from  side  to  side  in  a  terrific  manner,  proved  a  mere  paper  company, 
never  sent  ships,  only  produced  diplomacies,  and  had  the  honour  to  be'.  As 
a  matter  of  fact,  the  company  not  only  sent  ships,  but  paid  dividends,  and 
founded  settlements  which  stirred  up  the  fiercest  jealousy  in  India.  Although 
sacrificed  in  Europe  by  the  Emperor  to  obtain  the  Pragmatic  Sanction  in  1727, 
the  Ostend  Company  went  on  with  its  business  for  many  years,  and  became 
finally  bankrupt  in   1784.     Its  settlement  on  the  Hughli,  deserted  by  the 

*  Bankibazdr. 
F,  GC  16 


242  GUIDE    TO    CALCUTTA. 

Vienna  Court,  was  destroyed  in  1783  by  a  Muhamraadan  general,  wliom  the 
rival  European  traders  stirred  up  against  it.  The  despairing  garrison  and  theii 
brave  chief,  who  lost  an  arm  by  a  cannon-ball,  little  thought  that  the3'  would 
appear  in  history  as  mere  paper  persons  and  diplomatic  shades  who  had  '  only 
the  honour  to  be.'  The  European  companies  were  in  those  days  as  deadly  to 
each  other  as  the  river  was  destructive  to  their  settlements.  When  Frederick 
the  Great  sent  a  later  expedition,  the  native  Viceroy  of  Bengal  warned  the 
other  Europeans  against  the  coming  of  the  German  ships.  'God  forbid  that 
they  should  come  this  way'  was  the  pious  response  of  the  President  of  the 
English  Council,  'but  should  this  be  the  case,  I  am  in  hopes  that  througli 
your  uprightness  they  will  be  either  sunk,  broke,  or  destroyed."  Sir  W. 
Hunter.     India  of  the  Queen  and  Other  Essays,  pp.  201-2. 

Turning  a  bend  in  the  river,  Shamnagar  is  reached. 
Some  little  way  back  from  the  river  bank  may  be  seen 
the  remains  of  fortifications  said  to  have  been  raised  by 
the  Kaja  of  Burdwan  in  the  time  of  the  Mahratta  invasion. 
The  moat  and  the  inner  raoat  can  easily  he  traced.  I  am 
tempted  to  believe  that  the  Fort  may  in  reality  be  the 
remains  of  the  Ostend  Company's  fortified  Factory.  The 
land  it  covers  has  been  recently  acquired  by  the  Shamnagar 
Land  Co.,  and  the  last  traces  of  the  ancient  Ramparts  will 
in  due  course  disappear.  The  stone  work  was  utilised  in 
the  construction  of  the  Eastern  Bengal  State  Railway,  and 
one  tunnel  alone  remains  of  brickwork.  The  property 
passed  from  the  Burdwan  Maharajas  to  the  Tagore  family, 
and  from  them  to  its  present  owners.  The  cluster  of 
Temples  on  the  bank  led  early  English  navigators  to  name 
this  part  of  the  River  ''Devil's  Reach." 

In  the  meanwhile,  after  passing  between  Barrackpore 
and  Serampore,  we  have  been  keeping  a  watch  towards 
our  left  as  well  as  our  right.  North  of  Serampore  is  the 
village  of  Chatra,  then  Sheoraphuli,  where  the  East  Indian 
Railway  comes  close  to  the  river,  and  a  local  line  breaks  off 
to  the  Hindu  pilgrimage  shrine  of  Tarkeshwar.  Then  comes 
Baidyabati,  once  famed  as  the  village  of  native  medicine- 
men:  then  Nimaitirthi's  Ghat  where  Caitanya,  himself 
held  to  be  a  re-incarnat.'on  of  Krishna,  reposed  under  the 
shade  of  a  Nira  tree  when  on  his  famous  journey  to  the 
shrine  of  Jagannath  at  Puri.  The  sanctity  of  this  ghat 
is,  it  is  said,  for  Orissa  travellers  :  for  resident  BengaUs 
the  sacred  stream  suffices. 

Champdani,  made  conspicuous  by  its  mills,  was  in  olden 
days  the  Hounslow  Heath  of  Bengal.     Here  travellers  by 


OHIRBTY.  243 

the  Grand  Trunk  Road  through  Barrackpore,  having 
crossed  the  ferry  at  Pulta,  would  land,  and  not  infrequent- 
ly, be  pounced  upon  by  highwaymen.  The  estate  covered 
by  the  modern  mill  was  presented  by  the  Nawab  of  Mur- 
shedabad  to  Sir  Eyre  Coote.  At  least  so  said  both 
Warren  Hastings  and  the  General  :  Sir  Philip  Francis 
professed  scepticism. 

Ghirety. 

A  large  strip  of  ground  lying  between  the  Grand 
Trunk  Road  and  the  river  belongs  to  the  French,  and  is 
known  to  history  as  Ghirety  and  to  the  native  as  Farash- 
ganj.  At  the  North  end  of  this  strip  are  the  ruins  of  the 
Garden  Palace  of  the  French  Governors  of  Chandernagore. 
The  French  estate  here,  to  be  accurate,  consists  of  120 
bigahs  between  the  Trunk  Road  and  the  Hughli,  and  a 
small  plot  on  the  West  of  the  Grand  Trunk  Road. 

"If  there  be  any  one  place  in  Bengal,  after  Gour  with  its  ruined  palaces  and 
mosques,  which  presents  an  air  of  the  most  melancholy  desolation,  heightened 
by  the  remembrance  of  its  former  beauty  and  cheerfulness,  it  is  this  country 
house  of  the  French  Governors  of  Chandernagore.  Whether  we  pass  it  from 
the  river  side,  or  look  at  it  from  the  road, it  wears  the  appearance  of  the  thick- 
est jungle  of  the  Soondurbuns,  where  the  imagination  pictures  to  itself  the 
footmarks  of  the  tiger  and  wild  deer.  At  the  northern  extremity  of  the  grounds 
are  the  remains  of  its  once  splendid  mansion,  which  has  become  so  entirely 
dilapidated  as  to  be  scarcely  evenjpicturesque.  In  this  house,  seventy  years 
ago,  were  assembled  the  beauty  and  fashion  of  Chinsurah,  Chandernagore, 
Serampore,  and  Calcutta.  The  walls  of  the  saloon,  wliich  was  thirty-six  feet 
in  height  andof  proportionate  width  and  length,  were  adorned  with  paintings 
and  when  in  all  its  splendour,  and  filled  with  company,  must  have  carried  tlie 
mind  to  some  of  the  public  rooms  in  the  Chateau  of  Versailles.  Here  the 
Governor  of  Chandernagore  entertained  Clive  and  Verelst  and  Hastings  and 
Sir  William  Jones,  with  a  degree  of  magnificence  little  inferior  to  that  exhibit 
ed  in  the  Old  Government  House  in  Calcutta.  The  long  alley  of  magnificent 
trees  to  the  north  of  the  house  was  formeily  filled  with  the  carriages  of  guests 
to  the  number,  it  is  said,  of  more  than  fifty.  Captain  Stavonnus  tells  us  that, 
on  the  22nd  of  February  1770,  the  Dutch  paid  a  national  visit  to  the  French 
Governor.and  as  these  visits  were  accompanied  with  much  ceremony, when  the 
guests  was  received  at  the  chief  factory,  the  Dutch  Director  preferred  paying 
it  at  the  country  seat  of  Ghirety.  The  party  set  off  from  Chinsurah  at  four 
o'clock  in  six  carriages,  and  reached  the  Chateau  at  six,  where  they  were 
received  at  the  bottomof  thesteps  and  conducted  into  a  large  saloon,  in  which 
the  principal  ladies  and  gentlemen  of  Chandernagore  were  assembled.  At 
seven,  the  Dutch  guests  were  invited  to  witness  a  play  in  a  slight  building, 
which  had  been  erected  for  the  purpose.  The  play  was  cfrer  at  ten,  when  they 
were  led  into  a  large  room,  in  which  a  hundred  ladies  and  gentlemen  Sat  dowti 
to  an  elegant  supper.  The  party  broke  up  at  one,  and  returned  to  Chinsurah." 
J.  C.  Marshman       Calcutta  Review,  Vol.  IV,  1845. 


244  GUIDE   TO    CALCUTTA. 

In  the  June  of  1824  Bishop  Heber  visited  Ghirety, 
and  it  is  well  worth  while  to  cite  here  his  description  of 
what  he  saw  : — 

■'There  is  a  large  ruined  building  a  few  miles  to  the  south  of  Chander- 
nagore,  which  was  the  country  house  of  the  Governor  during  the  golden 
days  of  that  settlement,  and  of  the  French  influence  in  this  part  of  India. 
It  was  suffered  to  fall  to  decay  when  Chandernagore  was  seized  by  us  ; 
but  when  Mr.  Corrie  came  to  India,  was,  though  abandoned,  still  entire, 
and  very  magnificent  with  a  noble  staircase,  painted  ceilings,  etc.  ;  and 
altogether,  in  his  opinion,  the  finest  building  of  the  kind  in  this  country. 
It  has  at  present  a  very  melancholy  aspect,  and  in  some  degree  reminded 
me  of  Moreton-Corbet  [a  ruined  building  in  Shropshire,  Heber's 
Edition],  having  like  that,  the  remains  of  Grecian  pillars  and  ornaments, 
with  a  high  carved  pediment.  In  beauty  of  decoration,  however,  it  falls 
far  short  of  Moreton-Corbet  in  its  present  condition.  This  is  the  only 
sign  of  declining  prosperity  in  this  part  of  the  country." 

To-day  Ghirety  House  is  but  a  few  crumbling  heaps  of 
stones  lost  in  thick  jungle,  and  it  is  no  longer  visible 
from  the  river  bank.  To  visit  it  we  should  either  have 
to  go  to  Baidyabati  by  train  and  then  walk  or  ride  by 
bicycle,  or  else  take  a  ticca  ghari  from  either  Serampore 
or  Chandernagore- 

Badreswar  [Bhuddeshur]  on  the  side  of  the  river  opposite 
to  Shamnagar,  is  an  important  rural  market  as  its  numer- 
ous brick  buildings  indicate-  Here  also  is  a  shrine  of  Siva 
dating  from  time  immemorial  and  much  frequented  by 
female  Hindu  devotees. 

We  cannot  fail  to  note  Gondalpara,  the  original  Danish 
Settlement,  as  the  name  has  been  laid  out  in  large  letters 
on  a  grass  lawn  beneath  a  Jute  Mill  on  the  river  bank- 
We  are  now  skirting  French  territory  and,  passing  a 
bend  of  the  river,  we  find  ourselves  at  Chandernagore — 
Chandan-nagar,  the  sandalw^ood  city-  We  must,  however, 
postpone  our  inspection  of  the  French  settlement  to  the 
return  journey-  But  in  passing  we  may  as  well  take  a 
few  notes  from  the  river-  Along  the  river  bank  runs  the 
neatly  kept  Quai  Dupleix-  Close  to  the  principal  land- 
ing place  we  note  the  Convent,  the  Governor's  House,  the 
Prison,  and  the  Hotel  de  France  (recently  "The  Thistle"). 
The  18th  Century  Chandernagore  lay  north  of  these 
buildings.  If  our  skipper  (the  Serang)  can  point  out  to  us 
Kooti  Ghat  we  shall  be  able  to  note  the  old  landing  place 
of  Fort  Orleans,  commenced  in  1691,  completed  in  1693, 


THE  JUBILEE  BRIDGE.  245 

and  sacked  by  Clive  in  1757-  All  vestiges  of  the  Fort 
have  long  since  disappeared.  It  lay  between  the  Com- 
pany's Tank  (Lai  Dighi)  and  the  river,  and  contained 
within  its  walls  the  Governor's  House,  the  Parish  Church 
of  St.  Louis,  the  house  for  the  Company's  servants,  etc- 
To  the  west  of  the  Tank  was,  and  still  is,  the  Cemetery. 
We  proceed  on  our  way  upstream,  and  soon  the  white 
walls  of  the  College  at  Chinsurah,  and  then  those  of  the 
Barracks,    and  the    Commissioner's  House   come  in  sight. 

HuGHLi  Jubilee  Bridge. 

A  very  full  account  of  the  Hughli  Bridge  and  its  con- 
struction will  be  found  in  a  paper  read  by  Sir  Bradford 
Leslie  before  the  Institution  of  Civil  Engineers  on  .January 
24th,  1888,  but  the  average  reader  would  find  that  ac- 
count somewhat  too  technical  to  be  easily  intelligible. 
In  Mr.  G.  W.  MacGeorge's  Ways  and  Works  in  India  the 
essential  facts  are  stated  with  lucidity. 

"  A.t  the  site  of  the  Jubilee  Bridge  the  Hooghly  Channel  is  1,200  feet 
wide  at  low  water,  the  selection  of  the  precise  point  of  crossing  having, 
among  other  considerations,  been  largely  influenced  by  the  relative 
narrowness  of  the  river  immediately  opposite  the  town  of  Hooghly.  On 
the  town — or  right  side  of  the  river, — the  bed  is  66  feet  deep  below 
mean  sea-level,  and  the  bank  is  defined  and  well  above  the  highest  floods. 
On  the  left  side  the  water  is  comparatively  shallow,  and  there  is  a  low 
bank,  with  a  wide  stretch  of  low-lying  ground  beyond,  inundated  during 
high  floods.  The  height  of  the  tide  varies  from  a  short  distance  between 
mean  sea-level  to  20  feet  above,  with  a  maximum  velocity  of  4^  miles  an 
hour  when  the  flood-tide  enters  with  a  strong  bore,  and  nearly  6  miles  an 
hour  on  the  ebli-tide  in  freshets.  There  is  a  very  largejjnavigation, 
consisting  of  unwieldy  country  sailing-boats,  little  under  control,  and 
steamers  and  flats  of  500  to  600  tons  burden  belonging  to  the  Inland 
Navigation  Companies,  together  with  passenger  steamers  plying  between 
Calcutta  and  Rulna." 

"  The  bridge  is  constructed  for  a  double  line  of  railway,  both  lines  being 
carried  between  the  main  girders.  It  consists  essentially  of  two  large 
openings,  each  524  feet  of  clear  span,  with  a  central  smaller  opening  of 
106^  feet,  between  two  piers  supporting  a  pair  of  cantilever  girders ;  the 
total  length  of  the  bridge  proper  being  l,213:|feet.  The  approach  to 
the  main  structure  in  the  Hooghly  side  of  the  river  is  by  a  masonry 
viaduct  -3,278  feet  in  total  length,  consisting  of  112  arches  of  spans 
varying  from  lOf  to  48  feet.  On  the  Naihati,  or  left  side  of  the  river,  the 
approach  is  also  by  a  masonry  viaduct,  in  this  case  441  feet  long,  con- 
sisting of  29  arched  openinus  of  ]  Of  feet.  From  end  to  end  of  the  via- 
ducts, therefore,  and  across  the  river,  the  total  length  of  the  structure  is 
4,932  feet,  or  not  far  short  of  a  mile.  The  height  of  the  main  bridge  from 
the  bottom  of  the  foundations  of  the  central  piers  to  the  underside  of 
the  girders  is  193^  feet,  the  foundations  being  98^  feet  below  the  lowest 
water."    MacGeoi-ge  :    Op.  «<.,  pp.,  341-42. 


246  GUIDE    TO   CALCUTTA. 

The  bridge  is  from  the  river  bed  supported  by  two  piers 
each  540  feet  from  the  viaduct,  on  its  respective  viaduct 
on  the  river  bank.  Between  these  piers  tliere  is  an  opening 
of  120|  feet.  The  piers  in  the  river  support  the  central 
cantilever  360|  feet  in  length  and  the  river  terminals  of 
the  East  and  West  portions  of  the  bridge  each  420  feet  in 
length.  The  present  writer  can  only  speak  as  a  layman 
in  matters  of  engineering  science,  but  he  imagines  that  the 
reason  why  Sir  Bradford  Leslie  sacrificed  the  architectural 
effect  of  making  the  river  piers  support  the  terminals 
of  the  three  sections  above  the  river  was  a  motive  of 
economy.  The  nearer  to  the  Hughly  town  side  the  pier 
was  erected,  so  much  greater  the  cost  of  its  foundations. 

HUGHLI    AND    BaNDEL. 

We  are  now  at  Hughli  where  we  must  effect   a  landing. 

"The  Portuguese,  as  is  well-known,  were  the  first  European  nation  to  visit 
andsettle  in  India.  On  8th  January,  1454,  Pope  Nicholas  V.  granted  to  Alfonso 
V.  of  Portugal  an  e.xclusive  right  to  all  countries  which  might  be  discovered  in 
Africa  and  Eastwards,  including  India.  Bartholomew  Diaz  doubled  the  Cape 
for  the  first  time  early  in  1487.  The  first  explorer  to  reach  India  was  Va.sco 
da  Gama,  who  arrived  at  Calicut  on  26th  August,  1498  .  .  .  Goa  was  captured 
by  the  Portuguese  in  1510.  The  first  Portuguese  explorer  to  visit  Bengal  was 
Joac  da  Silveira  in  the  year  1518.  Portuguese  traders  began  to  frequent 
Bengal  about  15.30."  Lt.-Col.  D.  G.  Crawford:  A  Brief  Historij  nf  the 
Hughli  District,  pp.  3-4. 

As  we  have  seen  elsewhere  the  Portuguese  vessels  were  in 
olden  times  wont  to  anchor  off  Betor  close  to  where  the 
present  Botanical  Gardens  are  situated,  and  thence 
despatched  boats  to  trade  at  Satgaon  some  three  miles  to 
the  north-west  of  Hughli.  It  has  been  stated  that  the 
Portuguese  commenced  their  Fort  at  Hughly  in  1537  or 
1538,  but  it  was  not  until  the  time  of  the  Emperor  Akbar 
that  permission  was  granted  for  a  permanent  town.  In 
1599,  it  would  seem,  they  built  their  Fort  and  their  Church. 

"The  Portuguese  in  Bengal,"  writes  a  traveller  in  1595,  'live  like  wild 
men  and  untamed  horses.  Every  man  there  doth  what  he  will,  and  every 
man  is  lord  and  master.  They  pay  no  regard  to  justice,  and  in  this  way 
certain  Portuguese  dwell  among  them,  some  here,  some  there,  and  are  for  the 
most  part  such  as  dare  not  stay  in  India  [i.e.,  Goa]  for  some  wickedness  by 
them  committed.  Nevertheless  there  is  great  traffic  used  in  those  parts  by 
divers  ships  and  merchants."  Van  Linschoten  ;  Hakhiyt  Society's  Edn,, 
Vol.  I,  p.  86. 


AN    OLD    FORT.  247 

The  Portuguese  had  been  granted  the  right  to  settle 
on  the  express  condition  that  they  would  keep  the  river 
clear  of  pirates.  Failing  to  perform  this  duty,  the  Emperor 
Shah  Jehan  in  1632 

"First  exacted  by  threats  or  persuasion  large  sums  of  money  from  the  Por- 
tuguese, and  when  they  refused  to  comply  with  his  ultimate  demands,  he  be- 
sieged and  took  possession  of  their  town,  and  commanded  that  the  whole 
population  should  be  transferred  as  slaves  to  Agra."     Bernier  :  Travels. 

At  low-tide  the  foundations  of  two  walls  of  the  old 
Portuguese  Fort  may  be  seen  jutting  out  from  the  river- 
bank  immediatel)'^  in  front  of  the  present  Hughli  Jail. 

Tn  1633  the  English  traders  had  come  up  from  the 
Coromandel  Coast  to  Balasore  in  Orissa.  In  1651  two  fac- 
tors were  sent  to  establish  a  factory  at  Hughli.  For  the 
story  of  this  the  first  English  settlement  and  a  picture  of 
its  social  life,  the  reader  is  referred  to  the  late  Mr.  C.  R. 
Wilson's  Early  Annals  of  the  English  in  Bengal.  The 
most  available  landmark  to  enable  us  to  recover  the 
approximate  site  of  the  old  English  factory  is  the 
Ghol  Ghat  originally  a  small  indentation  forming  a  tiny 
whirlpool.  The  factory  stood  close  to  this  ghat,  The 
house  of  the  Mogul  Governor  would  be  found  in  the 
angle  where  now  the  road  to  Bandel,  after  passing  the 
Imambarah,  turns  eastwards — the  Rashmoni  Ghat  repre- 
senting that  great  man's  stairs  down  to  the  river. 

On  October  the  28th;  1686,  the  EngUsh  had  a  serious 
skirmish  with  the  Mogul  soldiery  in  which  a  Captain 
Arbuthnot  distinguished  himself,  capturing  the  enemy's 
battery,  spiking  the  guns,  driving  all  before  him,  and  car- 
rying the  battle  beyond  the  Governor's  house-  The  old 
factory,  however,  was  burned  down,  and  so,  on  Decem- 
ber 20th,  the  Enghsh,  under  Job  Charnock,  set  out  on  that 
series  of  wanderings  which  was  to  end  with  Charnock' s 
midday  halt  at  Sutannatti. 

Having  landed,  we  must  despatch  a  servant  to  find  a 
ticca  ghari  for  us.  In  a  crazy  little  conveyance  with  swift 
but  diminutive  ponies,  we  set  out  for  Bandel-  Bandel — 
a  corruption  of  bundar, — means  nothing  mo^e  than  wharf. 
About  half  a  mile  beyond  the  Church  is  the  circuit- house, 
which  approximately  marks  the  northern  boundary,  as  the 


248  GUIDE    TO    CALCUTTA. 

present  Hughli  Jail  does  the  southern,  of  the  old    Portu- 
guese settlement. 

The  old  Augustinian  Church  and  its  Convent  lies  iji 
between  the  road  and  the  river  with  Bandel  Creek  on  its 
northern  side.  We  enter  by  a  gate  on  the  river-side.  A 
stone  in  the  archway  bears  the  date  1599 — the  date  of 
present  building.  The  Prior  was  permitted  to  return  and 
rebuild  the  Church,  but,  in  1540,  it  made  way  for  the 
foundation  of  the  original  Church  which  was  destroyed  in 
1632-  The  Church  itself  is  dedicated  to  Nossa  Senhora 
de  Rozario.  and  forms  the  western  side  (thus  lying  between 
North  and  South  with  the  high  altar  in  the  North)  of  the 
Convent.  It  was  erected  in  1661,  as  a  tablet  records, 
by  Gomes  de  Soto.     Another  inscription  runs  : 

Este  Altar 
Do  Convento  d'  Ugolyn 

He 

Privilegiado  ao  .Saiado 

Pello  Sumo  Pontifice 

Benedicto  XII 

Anno  de    MDCCXXVI. 

This  tablet  is  of  importance  in  view  of  a  remark  of 
Stewart  in  his  History  of  Bengal,  wheie  it  is  stated  "as  a 
circumstance  worthy  of  remark,  that  the  name  of  Hughli 
is  never  mentioned  in  Faria  de  Souza's  History  of  the 
Portuguese,  although  he  acknowledges  that  they  lost  a 
large  town  in  Bengal  in  the  year  1633,  which  he  calls 
Golin.  "  It  seems  obvious  to  identify  the  Ugolyn  of  the 
tablet  with  the  Golin  of  Faria. 

Ascending  to  the  tower  we  see  in  a  niche  the  statue  of  the 
Madonna  and  the  Holy  Child.  The  ecclesiastical  Cicerone, 
who  has  probably  attached  himself  to  our  party,  will 
narrate  to  us  how  on  one  occasion  this  celebrated  image 
bowed  its  head,  and  how  the  elephant  who  had  been  order- 
ed to  tread  under  foot  the  priests  who  had  been  placed 
on  the  ground  to  be  crushed  to  death  between  crimi- 
nals, used  a  miraculous  discrimination  in  favour 
of  the  holy  missionaries.  A  tablet  above  the  statue 
records  the  rebuilding  of  the  tower  after  the  earth- 
quake of  June  12,  1897  :  beneath  is  the  votive  offering 
of  a  model  of  a  full-rigged  ship.     In  the  compound  below 


BANDKL.  249 

stands  the  mast  of  an  old  Portuguese  ship  ;  it  is  said  to 
have  been  placed  here  in  1655  as  a  thank-offering  on  the 
part  of  a  captain  who  had  escaped  the  perils  of  a  storm. 
In  each  successive  November,  the  Convent  and  Church 
are  crowded  by  pilgrims  who  come  hither  to  celebrate 
the  No  vena  of  Our  Lady  of  a  Prosperous  Voyage.  It  is 
perhaps  in  the  irony  of  things  that  such  an  occasion 
should  be  chiefly  graced  by  those  who  least  often  go  on 
a  voyage.  The  Convent  has  long  since  been  without 
its  monks  :  but  the  parish  priest  is  still  known  as  the 
Prior. 

Some  38u  bigas — Shah  Jehan  granted  777 — of  rent-free 
land  belong  to  the  Church.  It  is  hard,  as  we  look  out  from 
the  towers,  to  imagine  the  existence  of  a  "health  resort" 
in  its  neighbourhood.  Yet  such  Bandel  was  supposed  to 
be  at  the  close  of  the  18th  Century.  Hamilton  gives  the 
place  a  bad  name  : — 

"The  Bandel,  at  present,  deals  in  no  sort  of  commodities,  but  what  are  in 
request  at  the  Court  of  Venus,  and  they  have  a  church,  where  the  owners  of 
such  goods  and  merchandise  aie  to  be  met  with,  and  the  buyer  may  be  con- 
ducted to  proper  shops,  where  the  commodities  may  be  seen  and  felt,  and  a 
priest  to  be  surety  for  the  soundness  of  the  goods." 

If  the  reader  can  spare  a  separate  day  for  Chanderna- 
gore,  he  can  now  return  to  the  road  and  drive  northward 
and  visit  Bansberia  where  there  is  a  magnificent  Hindu 
temple  with  13  pinnacles.  Few  Calcutta  folk  have  view- 
ed this  really  imposing  building. 

Tribeni  Ghat — a  great  ghat  held  sacred  as  the  legendary 
meeting  place  of  the  Ganges,  Sarasvati  and  Jamuna  rivers. 

It  may  be  said  that  there  is  not  very  much  to  see  at 
Chandernagore  beyond  what  may  be  seen  from  the  river, 
and  it  is  generally  possible  to  visit  Bandel,  Hughli  and 
Chinsurah,  and  to  catch  the  return  boat  at  the  latter  place 
and  so  return  by  river,  which  is  far  preferable  to  the 
railway  journey. 

We  now  drive  back  to  Hughli  and  visit  the  Imam- 
barah,  the  great  mosque  we  have  already  noted  close  to 
the  river  bank.  Before  entering,  however,  we  notice  the 
old  Imambarah  built  in  1777.  A  marble  tablet  in  the 
western    corner  marks  the  burial  place  of  Karamat  Ali, 


250  GUIDE   TO   CALCUTTA. 

the  companion  of  Arthur  Connolly  and  the  builder  of  the 
new  Imambarah.  The  history  of  the  latter  building  is  as 
follows  :  In  1814  died  Haji  Mahommed  Mohsin,  the  pro- 
prietor of  the  great  Saidyapore  estate  in  the  Jessore  dis- 
trict. Leaving  no  heirs,  he  bequeathed  property  to  the 
value  of  about  £  4,500  a  year  to  be  expended  in  pious  works. 
As  in  the  case  of  the  La  Martiniere  at  Calcutta,  the  legacy 
for  many  years,  owing  to  litigation,  was  allowed  to  accu- 
mulate. With  the  surplus  funds  the  College  of  Mahomed 
Mohsin  was  founded  and  opened  on  August    1st,  1836. 

The  western  fagade  of  the  Imambarah  measures  277  ft. 
^  36  ft.  The  clock  tower,  114  ft.  high,  contains  some  fine 
chiming  bells.  Passing  through  the  great  gateway,  we 
find  ourselves  in  a  noble  courtyard,  in  the  centre  of  which 
there  is  a  tank.  Next  to  the  western  gate  in  deep  recesses 
we  see  the  tinsel-decked  shrines  carried  in  Mohurrum  pro- 
cessions. The  mosque  proper  extends  along  the  eastern 
side  of  the  quadrangle.  European  visitors  will  not,  of 
course,  enter  the  railed-in  space,  but  they  can  ascend  to 
a  gallery  whence  a  good  view  may  be  obtained.  The  walls 
are  adorned  with  texts  from  the  Koran  in  elegantly 
coloured  chunani  work  :  the  floor  is  of  marble  ;  and  the 
effect  of  the  great  chandeliers  is  on  the  whole  good.  The 
silver  pulpit  should  be  noticed, 

Chinsurah. 

We  now  drive  into  Chinsurah — once  the  Dutch 
Head-Quarters  in  Bengal. 

Very  little  is  known  about  the  origin  of  this  Dutch 
settlement.  According  to  Orme,  the  Dutch,  who  sent 
their  first  fleet  to  India  in  1595,  reached  Bengal  in  1625. 
Mr.  Wilson  is  of  opinion  that  the  first  Dutch  factory  must 
liave  been  formed  ver}'  soon  after  the  expulsion  of  the 
Portuguese  in  1632.  In  the  Church,  which  we  shall 
shortly  visit  are  the  escutcheons  of  the  Danish  Governors, 
and  one  of  these,  Marshman  says,  refers  to  a  Governor 
who  died  in  1665.  The  same  authority  states  that  "Fort 
Gustavus,  before  it  was  entirely  demolished  eighteen  years 
ago  [written  in  1845]  bore  the  date  of  1687  on  its  north- 
ern, and  1692  on  its  southern  gate."  When  the  present 
writer  was  Chaplain  of  Chinsurah  in   1900    there    was    an 


CHINSURAH.  251 

old  granite  slab  lying  in  the  tennis  court  engraved 
with  the  monogram  ^  (i.e.,  Ostindichb  Vereenigde 
Companie)  and  the  date  1687.  This  stone  is  now  set  up  in 
the  Commissioner's  House.  A  similar  stone  is  to  be  found 
in  the  Calcutta  Museum.  In  1676  Streynsham  Master 
writes  : 

"  Less  than  two  miles  short  of  Hughly  we  passed  by  the  Dutch  garden, 
and  a  little  further  on  a  large  spot  of  ground  which  the  French  had 
laid  out  in  a  factory,  the  gate  to  which  was  standing,  but  which  was  now 
in  possession  of  the  Dutch.  Then  we  came  by  the  l>nTCH  factory  which 
is  a  large  built  house  standing  by  itself,  much  like  to  a  county  seat  in 
England."     Hedges'  Diary,  Vol.  II,  p.  233. 

Hamilton's  account  brings  us  to  1704. 

"About  half  a  league  further  up  is  the  Chinsurah,  where  the  Dutch 
emporium  stands.  It  is  a  large  factory,  walled  high  with  brick.  And 
the  factors  have  a  great  many  good  houses  standing  pleasantly  on  the 
river  side,  and  all  of  them  have  pretty  gardens  to  their  houses.  The 
Chinsurah  is  wholly  under  the  Dutch  Company's  Government.  It  is 
about  a  mile  long,  and  about  the  same  breadth,  well  inhabited  by 
Armenians  and  the  Natives.  It  is  contiguous  to  Hughly,  and  affords 
sanctuary  for  many  poor  Natives,  when  they  are  in  danger  of  being 
oppressed  by  the  Mogul's  Governor  and  his  harpies." 

In  the  year  of  Suraj-ud-Daula's  march  on  Calcutta,  the 
Dutch  staved  off  their  immediate  ruin  by  a  payment  of  4^ 
lacs  of  rupees.  Two  years  later  the  Nawab,  while  pretend- 
ing immense  friendship  for  the  English,  urged  on  the  Dutch 
to  enter  into  a  life  and  death  struggle  with  the  English 
under  Clive.  The  issue  was  firstly  decided  by  a  battle  on 
the  river  in  which  three  English  ships  with  30  guns  apiece 
at  the  most  tackled  four  Dutch  ships  of  36  guns,  two  of 
twenty-six,  and  one  of  16.  For  a  while  Captain  Forrester 
fought  unaided,  but  when  the  other  two  ships,  under  Cap- 
tains Wilson  and  Sampson,  arrived,  after  a  brief  fight,  six 
of  the  Dutch  .ships  struck,  and  the  seventh  was  captured 
off  Kulpi  by  two  English  ships  entering  the  river.  Then,  con- 
jointly, Colonel  Forde,  who  had  left  Calcutta  on  November 
19th,  and  had  encamped  at  Ghirety  on  the  23rd,  attacked 
the  Dutch  amid  the  ruins  of  Chandernagore  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  24th,  captured  their  four  guns  and  sent  them 
flying  hack  to  Chinsurah.  Still  expecting  the  Dutch  fleet 
to  land  forces,  and  ignorant  of  the  result  of  the  river 
battle,  Forde  wrote  to  Clive  at  Calcutta  for  express  orders 


252  GUIDE    TO   CALCUTTA. 

The  despatch   found   Clive  seated  at  the  card  table.     Or. 
the  back  of  it,  Clive  wrote  : — 

Dear  Forde, 

Fight  them    immediately.     I   will  send   you  the  order  in  council 
to-morrow. 

On  November  25th,  the  Dutch,  led  by  Roussell,  a  French 
soldier  of  fortune,  advanced  across  a  treeless  plain  against 
the  English  who  were  well  covered  by  a  pond  and  deep 
ditch,    as  well  as  protected  by  a  mango  grove  on  the  left. 

"  The  action  was  short,  bloody,  and  decisive.  In  half  an  hour  the 
enemy  were  completely  defeated  and  put  to  flight,  leaving  120  Euro- 
peans and  200  Malays  dead  on  the  field.  150  Europeans  and  nn  many 
Malays  wounded,  whilst  Colonel  Roussell  and  14  other  officers,  350  Euro- 
peans, and  200  Malays,  were  made  prisoners.  The  troop  of  horse  and  the 
Nawal)'s  cavalry  which  latter  did  nothing  during  the  action— were  very 
useful  in  pursuing  the  fugitives  afterwards,  which  they  did  with  such 
effect  that  only  14  of  the  enemy  escaped  and  reached  Chin^urah.  Tbe 
loss  of  the  English  on  this  occasion  was  comparatively  trifling,"  Broome : 
Hutory  of  the  Bengal  Army,  p.  270. 

It  is  a  striking  instance  of  the  rapidity  with  which  land- 
marks disappear  in  Bengal  that  it  is  by  no  means  easy  to 
fix  the  scene  of  the  village  of  Biddera  on  which  Forde's 
right  rested  on  this  memorable  occasion. 

"In  Renell's  map  a  drawn  sword  is  shown  on  the  east  bank  of  tin  ■ 
Saraswati,  a  little  north-west  of  Chandernagore  with  the  date  IJ.'i!^'. 
This  must  refer  to  the  battle  of  Biddera.  The  map  is  dated  1781,  only 
22  years  after  the  bait  I  e,  and  no  doubt  the  spot  so  shown  is  the  act\ial 
field  of  the  battle.  Probably  the  Saraswati  irself  was  the  broad  and 
deep  ditch,  which  threw  the  Dutch  into  confusion,"  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Crawford  :     Op.  cit,,  j).  .34, 

It  is  worth  noting  that  the  Buddery  of  the  old  pilot's 
maps  is  the  later  Biddera,  and  Buddery  is  identified  by 
Colonel  Yule  with  the  modern  Bhadrewsar. 

After  having  been  more  than  once  seized  and  again 
restored,  Chinsurah  was  finally  ceded  to  England,  in 
return  for  Fort  Marlborough  and  Sumatra,  under  the  treaty 
dated  London,  March  17,  1824,  the  English  withdrawing 
their  protest  against  the  Dutch  occupation  of  Bencoolen 
and  the  Dutch  theirs  against  the  English  occupation  of 
Singapore. 

"The  Old  Fort  and  Government  House  at  Chinsurah  were  soon  after 
demolished  to  make   room  for  a  splendid  range   of  barracks   capable   of 


CHIN  SURAH    CHURCH.  253 

nccommodating  a  thousand  men,  and  no  token  remains  to  tell  that  the 
settlement  once  belon<red  to  the  Dutch,  but  the  escutcheons  of  the 
Governors  which  still  continue  to  adorn  the  walls  of  the  Church."  J.  C. 
Marshman  :    Calcutta  Review,  Vol.  IV,  p.  519. 

For  some  years  Chinsurah,  with  a  good  reputation  to 
its  credit  as  a  healthy  station,  Vjecame  the  military  depot 
for  Bengal.  In  1850,  however,  the  troops  were  removed 
and  the  barracks  are  now  turned  into  a  cutchery.  The 
places  most  worthy  of  notice  are  : 

(1)  The  foundations  of  the  old  English  factory  in  the 
river  bed  in  front  of  the  jail.  These,  however,  we  have 
noted  from  the  river. 

(2)  The  Armenian  Church  of  St.  John'  the  Baptist, 
commenced  in  1695,  completed  in  1697,  and  thus  the 
second  oldest  Christian  Church  in  Bengal.  The  steeple 
which  we  doubtless  noted  from  the  steamer,  and  which 
guides  us  on  our  way  in  search  of  the  Church,  was  erected 
by  a  pious  Armenian  lady  early  in  the  last  century.  The 
Church  itself  was  built  by  the  Margar  family,  the  founder 
of  whose  fortunes  in  Bengal  "  the  famous  Kharib  Khojah 
Johanness"  lies  buried  in  the  adjoining  churchyard.  The 
Church  is  very  well  looked  after,  and  a  great  Armenian 
pilgrimage  is  supposed  to  take  place  to  this  national  sanc- 
tuary each  successive  St.  John  the  Baptist's  day. 

(3)  Chinsurah  Church — This  quaint  old  pile  built  by 
Sir  G.  L.  Vernet  in  1767,  was  handed  over  to  the  care 
of  Bishop  Heber  when  Chinsurah  passed  into  English 
hands.  Externally  it  has  something  of  the  appearance  of 
a  market  place  :  internally,  with  the  addition  of  a  fine 
reredos  to  the  altar,  it  would  have  a  somewhat  imposing 
sanctuary.  Round  the  walls  are  the  lozenge-shaped  hatch- 
ments of  the  Dutch  Governors,  but  these  are  too  high  up 
to  be  easily  studied.  The  oldest  commemorates  "W.  A.  " 
who  died  on  August  13,  1662.  The  most  interesting  to  us 
is  that  of  Sir  G.  L.  Vernet — a  former  page  of  Louis  XV 
and  a  relation  of  the  famous  painter,  but  above  all  a 
good  friend  to  the  English  of  Calcutta  in  their  distress  in 
1756.  Freemasons  will,  perhaps,  take  note  of  the  hatch- 
ment of  Governor  Pieter  Brueys,  who  was  Grand  Master 
of  the  Chinsurah  Grand  Lodge  some  time  before  the  year 
1774.     Stavorinus  has  left  us  an   account  of    the   magni- 


254  GUIDK   TO    CALCUTTA. 

ficent  Masonic  Temple,  "  the  Concordia,"  at  Serampore,  of 
the  convivialities  of  the  Chinsurah  masons,  and  the  anxiety 
of  every  good  Dutch  housewife  that  her  husband  should 
be  enrolled  and  thereby  entitle  her  to  wear  the  ribbons 
of  the  Craft  ate  th  next  Masonic  ball.  The  steeple  of 
the   Church  is  older  than  the  Church  itself. 

"The  Church  at  Chinsurah  which  stands  immediately  above  the  ghat  at  the 
entrance  of  the  town  from  the  south,  was  the  joint  gift  of  Mr.  Siohtei  man  and 
Mr.  Vernet.  Siilitejman  erected  the  steeple  with  the  chime  clock  in  1774. 
and  Vernet  added  the  Church  twenty-four  years  afterwards ;  thus  remind- 
ing us  of  the  popular  remark  that  the  Frenchman  invented  the  frill,  and 
the  Englishman  added  the  shirt.  But  the  Dutch  appear  to  have  been  very 
indifferent  in  matters  of  religion.  For  many  years  after  the  Church  was 
erected  there  was  no  clergyman  ;  service  was  performed  by  a  zichenticoster  or 
'comforter  of  the  sick.' who  was  not  in  holy  orders.  When  children  were  to 
be  christened  the  Dutch  were  obliged  to  send  for  a  clergyman  from 
Calcutta.  '  who  was  liberally  paid  for  his  trouble.'  "  J.  C.  Marshman  : 
Calcutta  Review,  \o\.  fV,  p.  515. 

3.  The  College  was  formerly  an  important  educational 
centre,  but  to-day  is  little  more  than  a  mere  boys'  school. 
The  building  is  said  to  have  been  erected  by  Perron  "one 
of  the  French  Generals  who  accumulated  large  fortunes 
in  the  Mahratta  service."  The  gardens  of  the  College  were 
at  one  time  famous,  and  even  to  this  day  show  tokens  of 
the  care  bestowed  on  them  in  days  gone  by.  Previous 
to  the  Mutiny  of  1857.  the  College  provided  for  a  "mili- 
tary class." 

4.  The  old  Dutch  Cemeteries — about  one  mile  to  the 
west. 

There  are  some  memories  of  Enghsh  folk  at  Chinsurah 
we  should  not  fail  to  recall  while  we  are  on  the  spot.  To 
Chinsurah,  after  his  bankruptcy  and  the  sale  of  his  Mission 
Church,  came  old  Jackariah  Kiernander,  and  here  until 
July  1795,  he  officiated  as  padre  to  the  Dutch  Settlement. 
In  that  year  Chinsurah  was  captured  by  the  English  and 
"the  first  Protestant  Missionary"  to  Bengal  became  a 
prisoner  of  war  and  compelled  to  subsist  on 

"a  small  pittance  of  fifty  rupees  a  month,  which  was  all  he  now  possessed — 
though  not  equal  to  a  fiftli  of  the  interest  of  the  money  he  had  expended  on 
pious  and  charitable  objects.  He  closed  his  career  at  Calcutta  in  April,  1799, 
at  the  age  of  eighty-eight,  after  a  residence  of  more  than  sixty  years  in 
India."  J.  C.  Marshman  :  Calcutta  Review,  Vol.  IV,  p.  516. 


OLD   MEMORIES.  ^o') 

Another  memory  is  that  of  Charles  Weston  whose  name 
occurs  so  frequently  in  Archdeacon  Hyde's  fascinating 
writings.  It  is  related  that  on  the  first  day  of  each  month 
he  was  wont  to  distribute  alms  to  the  amount  of  Rs.  1,600 
"with  his  own  venerable  hand"  to  a  crowd  of  unfortun- 
ates who  flocked  to  Chinsurah  to  receive  a  share  in  this 
princely  largess. 

A  third  memory  is  that  of    Bishop  Heber. 

i  'Early  in  1826  the  Bishop,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Robinson,*  visited  Chin- 
surah, about  twenty  miles  from  Calcutta,  the  station  which,  as  has  been 
mentioned,  was  ceded  to  the  English  by  the  Dutch,  and  of  which  the  spiritual 
concerns  were  placed  by  Government  in  his  hands.  Mr.  Morton  who  was 
appointed  to  the  Mission,  had  been  performing  the  duties  for  some  months, 
and  was  living  on  terms  of  perfect  amity  with  Mi-.  De  La  Croix,  the  Dutch 
Missionary,  who  did  not  appear  to  entertain  any  jealous  or  hostile  feelings 
towards  the  person  who  now  occupied  his  situation  in  the  mission.  The 
Bishop  preached  on  the  Sunday  which  he  passed  at  Chinsurah,  both 
morning  and  evening,  and  was  occupied  the  following  morning  in  looking 
over  an  old  house  which  had  long  been  the  abode  of  bats  and  snakes,  for  the 
purpose  of  deciding  on  its  capability  of  forming  a  permanent  residence  for 
the  clergyman,  and  for  the  establishment  of  a  school.  He  here  caught  a 
fever,  which  confined  him  to  his  room  several  days  after  his  return  to 
Calcutta.  There  was  one  peculiarity  attending  hi«  illness,  which  the  editor 
would  not  have  mentioned,  but  for  the  belief  that  it  had  some  connection 
with,  and  threw  some  light  on  the  cause  of  the  last  fatal  event  at  Trichi- 
nopoly."     The  Life  of  Reginald  Heher.     By  his  Wi^iow  :   Vol.  II,  pp.  364-5. 

The  Bishop  in  a  letter  as  yet  unpublished,  says  that 
this  house  was  "about  two  miles  from  the  Church." 

A  fourth  memory  is  that  of  pretty  Mrs.  Fenton  whose 
Journal  was  published  some  three  years  ago.  In  that 
book  the  reader  will  find  an  interesting;  description  of 
Chinsurah  as  it  stood  in  January  1827 — the  old  Dutch 
quarter  a  "city  of  silence  and  decay,  "  the  Command- 
i^nt's  house,  flooded  in  the  last  rains  bv  the  intrusive 
river,  the  deHghtful  shady  walk  to  the  Church,  and  the 
neighbouring  palace  of  "  Pran  Kisson  Holdar."  A  last 
memory,  dear  perhaps  to  myself  more  than  others,  but  yet 
dear  to  all  Indian  horticulturalists,  is  that  at  Chinsurah 
my  beloved  father  completed  his  standard  work  on  Indian 
Gardening.     R.  I.  P. 

We  must  now  take  one  of  Mrs.  Fenton's  favourite 
drives — to  Chandernagore  about  five  miles  off. 

*  Afterwards— first  Archdeacon  of  Madras,  than  Professor  of  Arabic  at 
Cambridge,  and  latterly  the  late  Dean  Vaughan's  immediate  predecessor  as 
Master  of  the  Temple. 


256  GUIDE    TO    CALCUTTA. 


Chandernagore. 


The  first  endeavour  of  the  French  to  reach  India  was  un- 
fortunate. In  1503  two  ships  set  sail  from  Havre,  but 
were  never  again  heard  of.  The  story  of  the  four  French 
Companies,  1604,  1642,  1664  (Colbert's),  1719  (Law's) 
would  be  too  long  to  tell  here,  were  it  even  relevant.*  When 
the  French  first  came  to  Bengal  is  not  known  for  certain  : 
Yule  gives  the  date  1673  :  Streynsham  Master  in  1676, 
speaks  of  passing  "a  large  spot  of  ground  which  the, 
Freiich  laid  out  in  a  factory,  the  gate  to  which  was  stand- 
ing, but  which  was  now  in  possession  of  the  Dutch." 

In  1688,  with  the  permission  of  Auruugzeb,  the  French 
occupied  Chandernagore,  and  in  course  of  time  founded  fac- 
tories at  Dacca,  Kasimbazar,  Balasore  (where  the  French 
Government  still  has  some  property),  Patna,  and  Jugdea. 
The  rebeUion  of  Subbha  Sing  in  1697,  which  served  so  well 
the  purposes  of  the  English  at  Sutannutti  and  the  Dutch 
at  Chinsurah,  also  served  as  a  justification  for  the  erection 
of  Fort  Orleans  by  the  French  at  Chandernagore.  In  1706 
or  1704,  Hamilton  describes  the  French  factors  as  "for 
want  of  money  not  in  a  capacity  to  trade."  "  They  have," 
he  says,  "a  few  private  families  dwelling  near  the  fac- 
tory, and  a  pretty  little  Church  to  hear  mass  in,  which  is 
the  chief  business  of  the  French  in  Bengal."  In  1731, 
however,  the  great  Dupleix  became  Intendant  or  Gover- 
nor of  Chandernagore. 

"  He  remained  there  for  ten  years  during  which  he  not  only  made  an  im- 
mense fortune  for  himself  by  private  trade,  but  also  made  the  fortune  of  his 
charge.  He  found  Chandernagore  .almost  a  ruin;  he  left  it  the  most  important 
settlement  in  Bengal,  with  2,000  brick  hou.^es,  and  extensive  trade,  and  unsur- 
passed credit.  In  1741  he  was  appointed  Governor  of  Pondicherry,  and  went 
to  that  station.  In  the  following  year,  1742,  he  revisited  Chandernagore  for 
the  last  time." 

"  We  often  talk  of  the  pagoda  tree  and  its  successful 
shaking  by  a  bygone  generation  of  Europeans  in  India. 
Dupleix  expended  his  great  fortune  in  his  ill-fated  struggle 
with  the  EngUsh,  and  died  in  poverty  at  Paris  on  Novem- 
ber 10,  1767.  Verelst,  his  Enghsh  contemporary,  having 
retired   from  the  Governorship  of  Bengal,  with  a    fortune 

•  The  reader  is  referred  to  Colonel  Mallison's  History  of  the  French  in  India. 


CHANDERNAGORB.  257 

of  £70,000,  borne  down  by  persecution  and  scandalous 
tongues,  died  in  a  lodging-house  at  Boulogne.  The  gal- 
lant Lally  was  judicially  murdered  :  Clive  perished  by  his 
own  hand. 

When  Suraj-ud-Daula  marched  on  Calcutta  in  1756,  it 
is  said,  that  he  received  from  the  French  at  Chandernagore 
250  barrels  of  gunpowder  and  a  promise  of  3J  lacs  of 
rupees.  French  deserters  also  served  his  Artillery  at  the 
Siege  of  Calcutta.  These  considerations  blotted  out  all 
kindly  memories  of  the  reception  the  French  had  given 
to  the  fugitive  EngUsh  :  the  utter  ruin  of  the  French  fac- 
tories had  become  a  part  of  Clive's  inflexible  will.  For  the 
story  of  how  Clive's  will  was  carried  into  effect,  the  suffer- 
ings of  the  gallant  chiefs  of  Chandernagore,  Cossim  Bazar, 
and  Dacca,  the  reader  must  consult  Mr.  S.  C.  Hill's  recent 
work  Three  Frenchmen  in  Bengal. 

The  site  of  the  Old  Fort  is  easily  found,  for  if  we  station 
ourselves  on  the  East  side  of  the  Lai  Dighi  Tank,  the  Fort 
would  have  been  between  where  we  are  now  standing  and 
the  river.  It  was  almost  square  in  shape,  built  of  brick, 
and  flanked  with  four  bastions,  with  six  guns  each,  but 
without  ramparts  or  glaces. 

"The  southern  curtain,  about  four  feet  thick,  not  raised  to  its  full  height, 
was  provided  only  with  a  battery  of  three  guns  ;  there  was  a  similar  battery  to 
the  west,  but  the  rest  of  the  west  curtain  was  only  a  wall  of  mud  and  brick, 
about  a  foot  and-a-half  thick,  and  eight  or  ten  feet  high,  there  were  ware- 
houses ranged  against  the  east  curtain  which  faced  the  Ganges,  and  which  was 
still  in  process  of  construction  ;  the  whole  of  this  side  had  no  ditch,  and  that 
round  the  other  sides  was  dry,  only  four  feet  in  depth,  and  a  mere  ravine. 
The  walls  of  the  Fort  up  to  the  ramparts  were  fifteen  feet  high,  and  the 
houses  on  the  edge  of  the  count.erscarp,  which  commanded  it,  were  as  much 
as  thirty  feet."  Renault  quoted  by  S.  C.  Hill  :  Three  Frenchmen  in 
Bengal,  pp.  18,  19. 

Such  was  the  condition  of  the  Chandernagore  Citadel 
when  the  webs  of  CUve  and  Watson  gathered  round  it  in 
1757.  It  was  practically  the  ruin  of  a  Fort  that  had  never 
been  completed.  The  garrison  consisted  of  273  soldiers, 
117  of  whom  were  deserters  from  Clive's  camp,  120  sailors, 
70  half-caste  and  European  civilians,  167  sepoys  and 
topasses  and  100  others.  To  protect  their  river  front, 
the  French  sunk  four  ships  in  a  narrow  passage,  a  little 
below  the  town,    but  the  masts    of    the  sunken  vessels 

F,  GC  17 


258  GlIIUK    TO    CALCUTTA. 

remained  above  water.  Surgeon  Ives,  an  eye-witness,  may 
tell  the  story  : — 

"The  Admiral  the  same  evening  ordered  lights  to  be  placed  on  the  masta 
of  the  vessel  that  had  sunk  with  blinds  towards  the  Fort,  that  we  might  see 
how  to  pass  between  them  a  little  before  daylight,  and  without  being  dis- 
covered by  the  enemy. 

'"At  length  the  glorious  morning  of  the  23rd  of  March  arrived  [Clive's 
men  gallantly  stormed  the  battery  covering  the  narrow  pass,]  and  upon 
the  ships  getting  under  sail  the  Colonel's  battery  which  had  been  finished 
behind  a  dead  wall  [to  take  off  the  fire  of  the  Fort  when  the  ships  passed  up, 
began  firing  away,  and  liad  almost  battered  down  the  corner  of  the  south-east 
bastion  before  the  ships  arrived  within  shot  of  the  Fort].  The  Tyger  with 
Admiral  Pocock's  flag  flying,  took  the  lead,  and  about  6  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing got  very  well  into  her  station  against  the  north-east  bastion.  The  Kent, 
with  Admiral  Watson's  flag  flying,  quickly  followed  her,  but  before  she  could 
reach  her  proper  station,  the  tide  of  the  ebb  unfortunately  made  down  the 
river,  which  occasioned  her  anchor  to  drag,  so  that  before  she  brought  up,  she 
had  fallen  abreast  of  the  south-east  bastion,  the  place  where  the  Salisbury 
should  have  been,  and  from  her  main  mast  aft  she  was  exposed  to  the  flank 
guns  of  the  south-west  bastion  also.  The  accident  of  the  Lewi's  anchor  not 
holding  fast,  and  her  driving  down  into  the  Salisbury's  station,  threw  this 
last  ship  out  of  action,  to  the  great  mortification  of  the  captain,  ofiicers,  and 
crew,  for  she  never  had  it  in  her  power  to  fire  a  gun,  unless  it  was  now  and 
then,  when  she  could  steer  on  the  tide.  The  French  during  the  whole  time 
of  the  Kent  and  Tyger's  approach  towards  the  Fort,  kept  up  a  terrible 
cannonade  upon  them  without  any  resistance  on  their  part;  but  as  soon  as 
the  ships  came  properly  to  an  anchor  they  returned  it  with  such  fury  as 
astonished  their  adversaries.  Colonel  Clive's  troops  at  the  same  time  got 
into  those  houses  which  were  nearest  the  Fort,  and  from  thence  greatly 
annoyed  the  enemy  with  their  musketry.  Our  ships  lay  so  near  to  the  P'ort 
that  the  musket  balls  fired  from  their  tops  by  striking  against  the  chunam 
walls  of  the  Governor's  palace,  which  was  in  the  very  centre  of  the  Fort,  were 
beaten  as  flat  as  a  half-crown.  The  fire  now  became  general  on  both  sides, 
and  was  kept  up  with  extraordinary  spirit.  The  flank  guns  of  the  south- 
west bastion  galled  the  Kent,  very  much,  and  the  Admiral's  aides-de-camp 
being  all  wounded,  Mr.  Watson  went  down  himself  to  Lieutenant  William 
Brereton,  who  commanded  the  lower  deck  battery,  and  ordered  him 
particularly  to  direct  his  fire  against  those  guns,  and  they  were  accordingly 
»oon  afterwards  silenced.  At  eight  in  the  morning  several  of  the  enemy's  shot 
struck  the  Kent  at  the  same  time;  one  entered  near  the  foremast  and  set  fire 
to  two  or  three  :{2-pound  cartridges  of  gunpowder,  as  the  boys  held  them  in 
their  hands  ready  to  charge  the  guns.  By  the  explosion,  the  wadnets  and 
other  loose  things  took  fire  between  decks,  and  the  whole  ship  was  so  filled 
with  smoke  that  the  men,  in  their  confusion,  cried  out  she  was  on  fire  in  the 
gunner's  store  room,  imagining  from  the  shock  they  had  felt  from  the 
balls  that  a  shell  had  actually  fallen  into  her.  This  notion  struck  a 
panic  into  the  greater  part  of  the  crew,  and  70  or  80  jumped  out  of 
their  port-holes  into  the  boats  that  were  alongside  the  ship.  The  French 
presently  saw  this  confusion  on  board  the  Kent,  and,  resolving  to 
take  the  advantage,  kept  up  as  hot  a  fire  as  possible  upon  her  during  the 
whole  time.  Lieutenant  Brereton  however  with  the  assistance  of  some  other 
brave  men,  soon  extinguished  the  fire,  and  then  running  to  the  ports,  he  beg- 
ged the  seamen  to  come  in  again,  upbraiding  them  for  deserting  their  quarters, 
but  finding  this  had  no  effect  upon  them,  he  thought  the  more  certain  method 


V 

CHANDERNAGORE,  259 

if  succeeding  would  be  to  strike  them  with  a  sense  of  shame,  and  therefore  loud- 
ly exclaimed,  Are  you  Britons?  You  Englishmen,  and  fly  from  danger?  For 
shame  J  For  shame  !'  This  reproach  had  the  desired  effect;  to  a  man  they 
immediately  returned  into  the  ship,  repaired  to  their  quarters,  and  renewed 
a  spirited  fire  on  the  enemy. 

■  In  about  three  horns  from  the  commencement  of  the  attack  the  parapets  of 
the  north  and  south  bastions  were  almost  beaten  down;  the  guns  were  mostly 
dismounted,  and  we  could  plainly  see  from  the  main  top  of  the  Kent  that 
the  ruins  from  the  parapets  and  merlons  had  entirely  blocked  up  those  few 
guns  which  otherwise  might  have  been  fit  for  service.  We  could  easily  dis- 
cern, too,  that  there  had  been  a  great  slaughter  among  the  enemy,  who  finding 
that  our  fire  against  them  rather  increased,  hung  out  the  white  flag,  whereupon 
a  cessation  of  hostilities  took  place,  and  the  Admiral  sent  Lieutenant  Brereton 
(the  only  commissioned  ofBcer  on  board  the  Kent  that  was  not  killed  or 
wounded)  and  Captain  Coote  of  the  King's  Regiment  with  a  flag  of  truce 
to  the  Fort,  who  soon  returned,  accompanied  by  the  French  Governor's 
son,  with  articles  of  capitulation,  which  being  settled  by  the  Admiral  and 
Colonel,  we  soon  after  took  possession  of  the  place." 

It  is  melancholy  to  record  that,  after  having  distin- 
guished himself  by  his  stout  defence,  Renault,  on  April 
1760,  made  so  miserable  a  surrender  of  the  French  settle- 
ment at  Karikal,  that  he  was  court-marshalled  and 
cashiered.     Yet,  writes  Mr.  Hill  : — 

"It  speaks  highly  for  the  respect  in  which  he  had  been  held  by  both  nations 
that  none  of  the  various  reports  and  accounts  n''  the  siege  mention  him  by 
name.  Even  Lally.  who  hated  the  French  civilians,  though  he  says  he 
deserved  death,  only  refers  to  him  indirectly  as  being  the  same  ofiicer  of  the 
Company  who  had  surrendered  Chandernagore  to  Clive."     Op.  Cit.,  p.  63. 

In  1763,  after  the  treaty  of  Versailles,  Chandernagore 
was  restored  to  the  French,  but,  as  Stavornius  reminds  us, 
on  condition  ' '  that  the  Fort  should  not  be  rebuilt,  nor 
that  they  should  be  allowed  to  fortify  themselves  in  any- 
way. "  Some  firmness  was  apparently  exhibited,  for 
Stavornius  adds  (about  1770)  "it  was  not  long  ago  that 
they  enforced  their  right  in  this  respect  without  any  cere- 
mony. "  From  1778  to  1783  Chandernagore  was  once 
more  an  EngHsh  possession,  and  in  1781,  Sir  R.  Chambers 
was  its  special  Judge.  Restored  to  the  French,  Chander- 
nagore simply  quivered  in  response  to  the  political  cyclone 
passing  over  France. 


CHAPTER   III. 

Trips  from  Calcutta. 

J .  Darjeeling.— The  Mail  Train  must  be  caught  at 
Sealdahat4-30P.M.  (Calcutta  time).  (The  traveller  should 
telegraph  in  advance  for  a  berth  to  be  reserved  for  him  at 
Sara  Ghat.)  At  Boogoola  time  is  allowed  for  the  pas- 
sengers to  take  tea.  Damookdia  Grhat  is  reached  at  4-48 
(Madras  time)  and  here  the  traveller  must  leave  the  train 
and  go  on  board  the  steamer.  Dinner  is  served  on  board 
while  the  Pudda  is  being  crossed.  At  Sara  Ghat  a  train 
is  found  waiting,  Siliguri  is  reached  at  6-28  (Madras  time), 
and  after  having  secured  his  seat  and  seen  his  luggage  on 
board  the  light  mountain  train,  the  traveller  will  find  he 
has  ample  time  to  make  a  substantial  breakfast.  Leaving 
Siliguri  the  train  runs  for  some  miles  through  rice  fields 
and  tea  gardens  until  at  Sukna  it  abruptly  meets  the  foot 
of  the  hills.  The  journey  now  becomes,  at  least  for  those 
making  it  for  the  first  time,  most  delightful.  The 
changes  in  the  vegetation  as  the  train  creeps  up  higher 
and  higher  will  excite  the  interest  of  the  naturalist.  The 
ingenuity  with  which  the  ascent  is  negotiated  will  not 
escape  attention.  In  one  place  the  lines  make  a  figure  eight; 
and  another  one  can  see  through  the  window  at  one  glance 
the  engine  and  the  guard's  van.  Nothing  can  be  more 
beautiful  than  the  vast  view,  which  lies  below,  of  the 
great  plain  of  Bengal.  Kurseong  will  be  reached  in  time 
for  tiffin-  Here  most  probably  the  traveller  will  find  the 
need  of  his  great-coat.  Darjeeling  is  reached  early  in  the 
afternoon.  It  would  be  out  of  place  to  attempt  to  describe 
Darjeeling  in  a  Calcutta  guide  book  :  we  here  merely  men- 
tion it  as  a  place  accessible  to  the  tourist  who  has  at  least 
some  four  days  at  his  disposal  and  who  is  anxious  to  have 
a  view  of  the    eternal    snows    of   the   Himalayas.     The 


MOORSHEDABAD. 


261 


vision  is  only  too  often  withheld  when  the  rains  are  about. 
The  highest  peak  visible  from  Darjeelingis  Kinchenjunga, 
28,156  feet.  From  Senchal  a  view  may  sometimes  be 
obtained  of  Everest,  29,000  feet. 

2.  MooRSHEDABAD. — This  place,  so  famous  in  the 
history  of  our  fellow  countrymen  in  Bengal,  will  shortly 
become  more  accessible  when  the  new  line  has  been 
opened.  The  traveller  at  present  must  go  from  Howrah 
to  Nalhati,  where  he  will  change  for  Azimganj.  From 
Azimganj  (a  village  with  some  Jain  Temples)  he  will  cross 
the  river  by  boat  to  Moorshedabad.  The  principal  sights 
here  are  : 

'The  JVawab's  Palace. — Built  in  1837  by  General  Macleod 
as  its  architect.  There  is  an  interesting  collection  of 
pictures  some  of  which,  however,  have  suffered  at  the 
hands  of  an  amateur  restorer.  The  armoury,  the  library 
and  the  jewels  are  worthy  of  inspection.  The  most  valu- 
.able  articles  in  this  collection  have  been  presented  by 
the  Nawab  to  the  Victoria  Memorial  Hall  and  are  now 
on  view  in  Calcutta.  ^ 

The  Nizamut  Imamharah. — Parallel  to  the  North  Fa^a'de 
of  the  Palace,  built  in  1847  to  replace  the  Imambara  built 
by  Su  raj -ud-D  aula. 

The  Chaick  Mu^jid.—Bm\t  in  1767  by  the  wife  of  Mir 
Jaffir. 

The  Motijhil  or  Pearl  Lake. — Most  of  the  old  palaces 
have  vanished,  but  the  spot  remains  peculiarly  beautiful. 

The  Cemetery  of  Jaffragimge. — The  burial  place  of 
the  Nawabs  Nazim  appointed  under  English  influence. 
Opposite  the  Cemetery  is  the  Jaifragunge  Deori — Mir 
Jaftir's  residence.  Tradition,  as  opposed  to  the  historian 
Orme,  has  it  that  in  the  compound  of  this  house,  Suraj- 
ud-Daula  was  murdured. 

The  Khush  Bagh. — On  the  side  of  the  river  opposite 
to  the  Motijhil.  Contains  the  tombs  of  the  Nawabs  AH 
Verdi  Khan  and  Suraj -ud-D aula. 

The  Roshni  Bagh. 

The  Kutra  Mosque. 

The  Old  Artillery  Park  {Tope  Khana). — A  huge  gun, 
17|  feet  long,  and  known  as  Jahan  Kosha  or  "destroyer 


262  GITTDE    TO    CALCUTTA. 

of  the  world,"  has  become  firmly  imbedded  in  the  trunk 
of  a  great  tree  which  now  carries  the  gun  some  5  feet 
above  the  ground. 

3.  Berhampur.— Once  a  large  Military  Station.  Here, 
after  Plassey,  Clive  biult  the  present  Barracks.  Here  on 
February  25th,  1857,  the  19th  Regiment  refused  to  receive 
the  famous  cartridges,  and  were  marched  down  to 
Barrackpore  to  be  disbanded.  In  1859  the  5th  Europeait 
Regiment,  nick-named  "the  Dumpies,"  mutinied  and 
seized  the  Barracks.  The  Dumpies  were  easily  quelled 
on  the  arrival  of  a  royal  regiment. 

4.  CossiM  Bazar. — One  of  the  earliest  settlements  of 
the  English  in  Bengal.  In  the  Cejnetery  are  buried 
under  a  quaint  canopy  the  first  wife  of  Warren  Hast- 
ings and  her  daughter  Elizabeth.  Close  by  lies  "  the 
wife  of  Colonel  John  Muttock,  died  1777,  great-grand- 
daughter of  the  famous  John  Hampden."  Nothing  remains 
of  the  old  factory  save  some  crumbling  stones.  The  old 
disused  Armenian  Church  is  worth  a  visit. 

5.  PuRi. — Special  arrangements  are  made  by  the  Ben- 
gal-Nagpur  Railway  to  enable  Calcutta  folk  to  take 
"week-end"  holidays  at  this  sea-side  place.  Puri  is 
celebrated  for  its  famous  Temple  of  Juggernath. 

6.  BuRDWAN. — May  be  easily  visited  in  a  single  da^ 
by  train  from  Howrah.     Places  of  interest : — 

1.  The  palace  and  grounds  of  the  Maharaja. 

2.  The  "SivALAYA." — A  collection  of  108  temples. 

arranged  in  two  circles. 

3.  The  Church  Missionary  Society's  station  famous 

in  the  history  of  Christian  missions. 

7.  Parasn'ath. — This  expedition  requires  a  good  deal 
of  previous  arranging.  From  Howrah  the  traveller  will 
go  to  Madhupore  and  there  change  for  Giridih.  From 
Giridih  to  the  foot  of  the  mountains  he  must  travel  by 
road  to  Madhubund  (18  miles)  where  he  must  have 
arranged  to  meet  bearers  for  the  ascent.  The  hill,  4,488  feet 
above  sea-level,  is  sacred  in  the  Jain  religion  to  Parasnath 
who  is  said  to  have  been  buried  here  after  a  life  of  100 
years  spent  at  Benares.     The  picturesque  Temples,    with. 


RIVER    TRIPS.  263 

their  white  domes  bursting  through  gorgeous  vegetation, 
the  rocky  peaks,  a  fine  view  from  the  ridge,  are  the 
inducements  held  out  to  encourage  one  to  make  a  pilgrim- 
age not  often  made  by  Europeans. 

Short  River  Trips. 

OoLOOBERiA.— A  pleasant  trip  down  the  river.  Mate- 
rials for  tiffin  should  be  taken.  It  is  a  pity  that  the  boat 
brings  one  back  to  Calcutta  rather  too  early  in  the 
afternoon  to  escape  the  heat  of  the  day.  The  canal  by 
which  travellers  in  times  past  journeyed  to  Midnapore 
commences  at  Oolooberia.  Budge  Budge  is  passed  on 
the  way.  Here  the  remains  of  the  Old  Fort,  captured  by 
CUve  in  1757,  may  be  traced.  The  Oil-tin  Factory  is 
quite  worth  visiting  by  those  who  are  fascinated  by 
machinery  at  work. 

Longer  Trips. — A  trip  of  greater  or  less  length  is  easily 
arranged.  The  traveller  may  spend  a  whole  three 
weeks  in  leisurely  floating  up  on  the  steamer  through  the 
Sunderbuns  to  Goalundo,  and  on,  through  Gowhati, 
Tezpur,  to  Dibrugurh,  or  through  the  Sunderbuns  to 
Naraingunge  or  on  to  the  Cachar  district.  The  trip  may 
be  curtailed  at  pleasure  by  transhipment  to  a  home  return- 
ing steamer  when  met  on  its  way.  For  messing  the 
traveller  will  pay  Rs.  4  a  day  to  the  Clerk  of  the  ship  or 
the  Khansamah. 


LISTS  OF  BANKS,  FIRMS,  ETC. 


BANKS. 


Bank  of  Bengal  3, 

Allahabad  Bank,  Ld.  ...  101-1, 

Alliance  Bank  of  Simla,  Ld.  ...  8, 

Bank  of  Calcutta,  Ld.  ...  7, 
Ohavfeied  Bank  of  India,  Australia 

&  China  ...  5, 

■Commercial  Bank  of  India,   Ld.  .  5, 

Delhi  &  London  Bank,  Ld.  ...  4, 

Deutsch-Asiatische  Bank  ...  32, 

Hongkong  &  Shanghai  Bank  ...  31, 

International  Banking  Corporation  26, 

Mercantile  Bank  of  India,    Ld.  ...  28, 

National  Bank  of  India,  Ld.  .  104, 

Russo-Chinese  Bank  ...  1, 


Strand  Road. 
Clive  Street. 
Council  House  Street, 
Clive  Row. 

Council  House  Street. 
Fairlie  Place. 
Council  House' Street. 
Dalhousie  Square. 
Dalhousie  Square. 

Dalhousie  Square. 
IJalhoiisif  Square. 
Clive  Street. 
Council  House  Street. 


BANKERS  AND    AGENTS. 


•Cook,  Tho9.,  and  Son 
Gillanders  Arbuthnot  &  Co. 
(Jrindlay  &  Co. 
King,  Hamilton  &  Co. 
Thacker,  Spink  &  Co. 


9,  Old  Court  House  Street. 
8,  Clive  Street. 
11,  Hasfinqs  Street. 
7,  Hare  Street. 
5  tfr  6,  Govt.  Place,  North. 


CHEMISTS. 


Bathgate  &  Co. 

Butto  Kristo  Paul  &  Co. 

Coondoo,  A.  C.  &  Co. 

R.  Scott  Thomson  &  Co.,  Ld. 

ISmith,  Stanistreet  <fe  Co. 


17,  Old  Court  House  Street. 
7,  BonjiehVs  Lane. 
167,  Dharumtala  Street. 
15,  Govt.    Place  c£-  14,  Russell 

Street, 
9,  Dalhousie  Square,   E.,   d; 
47,  Dharumtala  Street. 


CHURCHES  AND  CHAPELS. 
Church  of  England. 

•St.  Paul's  Cathedral  ...  Chowringhee  Road. 

Old  (or  Mission)  Church  ...       11,  Mission  Mow. 


266 


GUIDE    TO    CALCUTTA. 


St.  James'   Churcli 

St.  .lohn's  Church 

St.  Paul's  Mission  Church 

St.  Peter's  Church 

St.  Stephen's  Church 

St,  Thomas'  Church 

St.  Thomas'  Church 


1C6,  Loiiier  Circular  Road. 

Continl  Honne  Slrmt. 
27,  Scoit'n  Lane. 

Fort  William. 

Kidderpore. 
58,  Frm  School  Streol. 

Howrnh. 


Church  of  Scotland. 

St.  Andrew's  Chiiicli  Dnlhoiisif!  S<iuarf,  N. 


Dissenting  Places  of  Worship. 


United  Free  Church  of  Scotland 
London  Mission  Chapel     .  . 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
Congrregational  Union  Chapel 
Wesleyan  INIethodist  Church 
Baptist  Chapel 


76,   Wellnsln]!  Sire.et. 

8,  Bridge.  Road,  Hastings, 
151,  Dharaintnla  Street. 
186,  Dharaiiif<da  Street. 
14-2,  Sndder  Street. 

.31,  Bovi  Bazar  Street. 


Roman  Catholic  Churches. 


Cathedral  of  Our    Blessed   Lady  of 

the  Rosary 
Church  of  Our  Laily  of  the  Happy 

Voyage 
Church    of  Our    Blessed    Lady   of 

Dolours 
Church   of    the    Sacred    Heart    of 

Jesus     ... 
St.  Patrick's  Church 
St.  Teresa's  Church 
St.  Thomas'  Church 


Armenian  Church  of  St. 
Greek  Church 
Jewish  Synagogues 

Parsee  Temple 


Nazareth 


15,  Portiupie.se  Church  Street, 

3,  Cullett  Place,  Howrah. 

147,  Bow  Bazaar  Street. 

3,  Dhararntnla  Street. 

Fort  William. 
92,  Lower  Circular  Roacl. 
7,  Middleton  Eoio. 


2,  Armenian  Street. 
8,  Amratolla  Street. 
109,  Cannim/  Street,    and  9-9» 
Jackson's  Lane. 
26,  Ezra  Street. 


BOARDING  HOUSES. 


Babonau,  Miss 
Bailey,  Mrs. 
Campbell,  Mrs. 
DeBretton,  Mrs 
Hillier,  Mrs. 


Monk,  Mrs.,  A. 


28,  Caviac  Street. 
10,  Middleton  Bow. 
I,  Theatre  Road. 
3,  Harrinqton  Street. 
3,  Middleton  Street. 
'  11,  Middleton  Rmo ;  14, 15, 15-1, 
Chowringhee    Road :     13, 
Theatre  Road ;  26,  Camac 
Street ;  and  8,  Harrington 
Street. 


LISTS   OF   BANKS,    FIRMS,    ETC.  267 

Pell,  Mrs.  ..  ...  ...        1,     Litlle   Riissell    Street  ;  9, 

Middleton     Roiv      and      1, 
Canine  Street. 
(     6,  7,  8,  and  9.   Russell  Street ; 
Walters,  Mrs.       ...  ...  .A         W,  Middleton  Street ;  ct- 4, 


Little  Russell  Street. 


SOCIETIES,  LITERARY,  SCIENTIFIC,  &c 

Agricultural      and      Horticultural 

Society  of  India  ...  ...       17,  Alipore  Road. 

Asiatic  Society  of  Bengal...  ...       57,  Park  Street. 

Calcutta  School  Book  Society  .  1,  Wellington  Square. 

Dalhoiisie  Institute  ...  ...  Dalhousie  Square. 

Government  Art  Gallery  ...  ...  Chowringhee Road. 

Imperial  Anglo-Indian  Association      50,  Park  Street. 

Imperial  Library...  ..  ...  Metcalfe  Hall,  Hare  Street. 

Indian  Museum  ...       27,  Chowringhee  Road. 

Photographic  Society  of  India       ...  Chowringhee  Road. 

Y.   M.  C.    A.         ..  ...  ...  Chowringhee  Road. 

Y.  W.  C.   A.  ...  ...      31,  Free  School  Street. 

Zoological  Gardens  ...  ...  Alipore. 


THEATRES. 

Aurora     ...  ...  ...  ...  91,  Beadon  Street  (Native). 

Corinthian  ...  ...  ...  5,  Dharaintala  Street. 

Emerald    ..  ...  ...  ...  5S,  Beadon  Sh-t^et  (Native). 

Minerva    ...  ...  ...  ..  6,  Beadon  Street  (Native). 

Opera  House  ...  ..  ...  7,  Lindsay  Street. 

Star          ...  ...  ...  ...  73-3,CornwallisStreet{Native), 

Theatre  Royal  ...  ...  16,  Chovjringhee  Road. 

Tivoli       ...  ..  ...  ...  39,  Bentinck  Street. 


CLUBS. 


Bengal  Club          ...            ...            ...  33,  Chowringhee  Road. 

Bengal  United  Service  Club           ...  29,  Chowringhee  Road. 

Deutscher  Verein  (German  Club)...  5,  Camae  Street. 

New  Club               ...            ...            ...  AQ,  Park  Street. 

Saturday  Club       ...            ...            ...  7 ,  Wood  Street, 

ToUygunge  Club  ...           ...            ...  ToUygunge. 


SPORTING  AND  ATHLETIC  CLUBS 

Calcutta  Cricket  Club        ...  ...  Edm  Garden. 

Calcutta  Football  Club      ...  ...  OntheMaidan. 

Calcutta  Golf  Club  ...  ...  Ditto. 

Calcutta  Rowing  Club       ...  ...  Strand  Road  and  Kidderpore. 

Calcutta  Swimming  Bath  ...  ...  Strand  Road. 


-2(18 


fiUIDK    TO    CALCUTTA. 


Oalcutta  Tnrf  Club 
Ladies'  Golf  Club 


33,  Theatre  Road. 
On  the  Maidan. 


HOSPITALS. 


Campbell  Hospital 

Ezra  Hospital 

Howrah  (xeneral  Hospital 

Lady  Diiffeiiii  Victoria  Hospital 

Mayo  (Native)  Hospital      .. 

Medical  College  Hospital  ... 

Presidency  General  Hospital 


Sealdah. 
College  Street. 
Telkul  Ghaut  Road. 
1,  Amherst  Street. 

67-1,  Strand  Road,  North. 

88,  College  Street. 
244,  Lower  Circular  Road. 


HOTELS 


Bristol  Hotel 
Continental  Hotel 
/<:;rand  Hotel 
^*'-Great  Eastern  Hotel 
^   Hotel  de  Paris 
^pence's  Hotel 


1,  Chowringhee  Road. 

v)-12,  Chowringhee  Road. 
15-17,  Chowringhee  Road. 

1-3  Old  Court  House  Street. 
27,  Dharamtala  Street. 

4,     Wellesley  Place. 


OLD  HOUSES  AND  BUILDINGS. 


Appended  is  a  List  of  notable  hv.ildings  with  the  inscriptions  on  the 
tablets  placed  on  them. 


Name  of  Building, 

Place. 

1.     5,  Russell  Street... 

Calcutta  ... 

2.     8,  Mission  Row    ... 

Do.       ... 

3.     7,  Hastings  Street 

Do.       .  . 

4.     1,  Mission  Row    ... 

Do.       ... 

3.     Loretto  House,  7-1, 

Do.       ... 

Middleton  Row, 


6.     Bengal  Clnb  House 


7.     113,  Northern  Cir-         Do. 
eular  Road. 


S.     85,  Amherst  Street 


Do. 


Do. 


Inscriptions. 


This   building   was  the   Episcopal 
palace  from  1826—1849,  and  was 
occupied     by     Bishops     Heber, 
James,  Turner  and  Wilson, 
This  is  the  house  in  which  General 
Clavering,  Member  of  the  Coun- 
cil of  Warren  Hastings,  died. 
This  building  was  the  town   Resi- 
dence    of     Warren     Hastings, 
Governor-General  of  Fort   Wil- 
liam in  Bengal,  1774—85. 
Here     resided   General    Monson, 
Member     of     the    Council    of 
Warren  Hastings,  1774 — 76. 
This     hoti.se     was      the     Garden 
House     of    Mr,     Henry     Van- 
sittart.    Governor    of     Bengal, 
1760—64.     It  was  occupied  by 
Sir     Elijjth     Impey,     the    first 
Chief   Justice  of  the   Supreme 
Court,    Calcutta,  1774—82,  and 
also   by  Bishop  Heber  for  a  few 
months  in  1824, 
In     thi.*     house   resided   Thomas 
Babington       Macaulay,       Law 
Member  of  the  Supreme  Coun- 
cil. 1834— .S8. 
From  1814  to  1830  this  house  was 
the    residence     of    Raja     Ram 
Mohon   Roy,     Founder    of  the 
Brahmo    Samaj.      Born     1772, 
died  1833, 
This  house   was    the  family  resi- 
dence    of    Raja    Ram    Mohon 
Roy,   Founder  of  the   Brahmo 
Samaj.     Born  1772,  died  1833. 


270  GUIDE    TO    CALCUTTA. 

OLD  HOUSES  AND  BUILDINGS— (eo«<(i.) 


Name  of  Building. 


9.     House  at  the  corner 

of  Church  Lane 

and  Hare  Street. 

10.     25,  B  r  i  n  d  a  b  a  n 

Mallik's  Lane. 


11.  Nabakiss  e  n  '  s 

House,     Sobha- 
bazar. 

12.  59,  Bhowani  Churn 

Dutt's  Lane. 


13.  Lily   Cottage,    78, 

Upper    Circular 
Road. 

14.  5,  Protap  Chandra 

C  h  atterj  ee's 
Lane. 

15.  6,  Manicktollah 

Road. 


16.     Outram    Institute, 
Fort  William. 


17.  Military  Hospital 

18.  Hastings  House  .. 


Place. 


19.     Magistrate's  House 


Calcutta 
Do. 

Do. 

Do. 

Do. 

Do. 
Do. 

Do. 

Do. 
Alipore 


Do. 


Inscriptions. 


Here   resided  David  Hare. 
1775,  died  1842. 


Born 


Here  lived  Pundit  Iswar  Chundra 
Vidyasagar,  educationalist,  re- 
former, .ind  philanthropist. 
Born  1820,  died  1891. 

Here  lived  Maharaja  Nahakissen, 
Dewan  of  Lord  Clive  and 
founder  of  the  several  branches 
of  the  Sobhabazar  family. 

In  this  house  from  1838  to  1877 
resided  Babu  Keshub  Chandra 
Sen,  the  religious  reformer  and 
Brahmo  Leader. 

Here  lived  Babu  Keshub  Chandra 
Sen,  religious  reformer  and 
Brahmo  Leader.  Morn  \SS8, 
died  1884. 

Here  lived  Roy  Bunkim  Chundra 
Chatter jee  Bahadur,  c.i.E.,  the 
novelist.     Born  1838,  died  1894. 

Here  lived  Raja  Kajeiidra  La! 
Mitter,  LL.U.,  C.I.E.  Famous 
for  his  antiquarian  researches. 
Bom  1824,  died  1891. 

This  house  was  built  for  the 
Governor-General  and  was  some- 
times occupied  by  him.  I-Jishop 
Heber  was  accommodated  in  it 
by  Lord  Amherst  when  he  first 
arrived  in  India  in  October  1823. 

This  building  was  occujiied  liy  the 
Sadar  Dewani  and  Nizami 
Adawlat  between  1854  and  1870. 

This  house  known  as  Hastings' 
House  originally  the  country 
seat  of  Warren  Hastings,  first 
Governor-General  of  Fort  Wil- 
liam in  Bengal,  1774 — 1785,  was 
bought  as  a  State  Guest  House 
by  Lord  Curzon,  Viceroy  and 
Governor-General  of  India  in 
1901. 

In  this  house  resided  Sir  Philip 
Francis,  Member  of  Warren 
Hastings'  Council  1774—1780, 
A.D.  W.  M.  Thackermy,  the 
novelist,  also  lived  here  during 
his  infancy,  1812— 18L5  A.D. 


OLD    HOUSES    AND    BUILDINGS. 
OLD  HOUSES  AND  BUILDINGS— (twi^d) 


271 


Name  of  Building. 

Place. 

Inscriptions, 

20. 

Dum-Dum  House 

Dum-Dum 

This  house  was  the  country  house 
of  Lord  Olive,  1757—60  and 
1765-67. 

21. 

House  at  Cossipore 

Cossipore... 

This  house  was  the  residence  of 
Sir  Robert  Chambers,  Chief 
Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court, 
Calcutta,  1791  —  1798. 

22. 

The  building    now 

Calcutta     ... 

This  building  was  the  town  house 

occupied          by 

of  Sir  Philip    Francis,  Member 

the  "  Royal  Ex- 

of Council,  1774—1780.     Tradi- 

change." 

tion  says  that  this  building 
occupies  the  site  of  a  house  in 
which  Lord  Clive  once  lived, 
and  from  which  Clive  Street 
derives  its  name. 

f 

' JAMES    MURRAY   &  CO., 

/2,  GOVERNMENT  PLACE,  CALCUTTA. 
Opposite  E,  Gate  of  Govt.  House. 

BY   SPECIAL  APPOINTMENT  TO  HIS  EXCELLENCY  THE    VICEROY. 

STERLING  SILVER  SOUVENIR  SPOONS. 

With  any  of  the  following  views  beautifully  etched  in  gilt    frosted  bowls. 

.    Calcutta— High    Court,    General    Post    Office,     St.    Paul's  Cathedral, 

Government  House.  Simla — Viceregal  Lodge.  C  awn  for  fc. — Memorial 

Well.      LucKNOW— The    Residency.      Agra— Taj  Mahal. 

Rangoon-  Snwye    Dagon    Pagoda.      Delhi— junima 

Musjid,  Kuiub  Minar.    Darjeeling — Railway  Loop. 

Tea  Spoons,  Rs.  7-8.     Coffee  Spoons^  Rs.  5-8. 

We  make  more  Souvenir  Spoons  and  Souvenir  Novelties  in  Sterling 
Silver  than  any  other  firm  in  India.  We  make  them  for  more  different 
cities  and  subjects  ;  also  we  make  a  larger  variety. 

GOERZ  TRIEDER  AND    ZEISS'S 

PRISM  BINOCULARS. 


GOERZ  TRIEDER. 

Linear  mag-nification,     6x.     Cash   Rs.  100. 

Linear  mag-nification,     gx.     Cash   Rs.  115. 

Linear  magnification,    12  x.      Cash   Rs.  150. 

Specialists  in   polishing  Prisms  and  Lenses  of 
Prism  Binoculars. 

FRESH  KODAK  FILMS, 


By  Royal  Appointment  to  H.  M.  King  Edward  VII. 

FEDERICO   PELITl 

Manof actoflngf  Confectioner  and  Co«rt  Caterer, 
tl.  Government  Place,  East,  CALCUTTA. 
Bra.nch,  Regent  House,  SIMLA. 


WEDDING  CAKES 

with  all  complete  decorations  of  any  size  from  4  to  100  lbs. 


Cakes,  Fancy  Cakes,  Chocolates,  Fondants,  Dragees, 
Crystallized  Fruits,  etc., 

ALWAYS    FRESH    IN   STOCK. 


XMAS    SPECIALITIES' 

Xmas  Cakes,  Xmas  Plum  Pudding  and  Mince  Pies. 


Crackers,   Fancy  Baskets   and  Silk 
Bonboniers  for  presentation. 


Importer  of  English,  French  and  Italian  Stores  and 
Provisions. 


CATERING  DEPARTMENT. 

Large  Catering  for 

B)nquets,  Balls,  Weddings,  Receptions,  Suppers,  etc., 
undertaken  at  inclusive  terms  at  the  shortest  notice  to  all 
paits  o(   India  and   Burmah. 

Estimates  on  application. 


tm"  Send  for  the  new  illustrated  Price  List. 


LAMBERT    AND    BUTLER'S 

^^  SMOKING  ' 

MIXTURE 


^V^AGRAIMr, 


TOBACCO  Co. 
[INDIA).  LD., 
CALCUTTA. 
— Branches — 
BOMBAY, 
MADRAS, 
KARACHI, 
RANGOON. 

FREE 


^/. 


>>. 


SAMPLE 
ON    APPLICATION. 


TOBACCO  CO. 
(INDIA),  LD., 
CALCUTTA. 
— Branches— 
BOMBAY, 
MADRAS, 
KARACHI, 
RANGOON. 


^ 


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OBTAINABLE   FROM   ALL    LEADING 
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TO  BE  FIRST 

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for  first  place,  but  few  attain  it.  To  acquire  the 
lead,  aspiration  and  push  alone  are  not  suffi- 
cient— merit  is  required.  This  is  exactly  why 
BEECHAM'S  PILLS  stand  foremost  among 
medicines, — they  possess  real  merit  and  have 
proved  themselves  worthy  of  a  permanent  position 
ill  the  family  medicine  chest.  Trial  purchasers 
become  regular  users,  because  they  find  nothing 
to  equal  BEECHAM'S  PILLS  for  dispelling 
Bilious  and  Nervous  disorders,  Indigestion,  Sick 
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for  them  the  unique  position  of  having  the  Largest 
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Prices  :— Annas  4,  annas  8,  annas  12  and  Rs.  2  each. 

Sole  Agents  for 

INDIA,    BURMA    and   CEYLON, 

G.  ATHERTON  &  CO., 

CALCUTTA. 


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BOURNE  &  SHEPHERD, 

ARTISTS    AND    PHOTOGRAPHERS, 

By  Special  Appointment  to  H.  E.  The  Viceroy. 

B;  m.  The  Commander-in-Chief  and  H  H.  The 

Lt.-Govr.  of  the  Punjab 

We  have  a  splendid  selection  of  views   comprising   all 
the  principal  towns  and  places  of  interest  in  India. 

Prices  As.  8  eachf  Rs.  S  per  dozens 

The  above  are  printed   in  a   new   permanent  process  and 
are  equally  suitable  for  framing  or  mounting  in  albums. 

Magnificent   Carbon     enlargements    of    "  The    Taj," 
"  Darjeeling,"  "  Simla,"   etc. 

Size  24"  X  18'  ...  ...    Rs.  12 

„     48"X36*  ...  ...     „     75 


THE    ROYAL    TOUR 

Now  on  view  at  our  studios,  interesting  photographs 
of  the  tour  of  T.  R.  H.  The  Prince  and  Princess  of 
Wales  through  India. 


BOURNE    &   SHEPHERD, 

GaiGutta,  Simla  and  Bombay. 

li 


.    A    SELECTION    FROM    THE     . 

PUBLICATIONS 


OF 


W.    THACKER     &     CO. 

2,    CREED     LANE,     LONDON,    E.G. 

THACKER,  SPINK  &  CO. 

CALCUTTA     AND     SIMLA,    INDIA. 

Official  Agents  for  the  Sale  of  Publications  of  the  Indian  Government. 


For  Catalogue  of  Law  Publications  see  end. 


THACKER,    SPINK    &    CO. 

CALCUTTA    AND    SIMLA,    INDIA. 

No.   91.  '9«o. 


W.   THACKER 


CO.,  LONDON. 


Ninth  Edition.      Crown  8vo.,  cloth,  bs.     Rs.  4.8. 

BEHIND   THE   BUNGALOW. 

By  EHA. 

With  Fifty-three  Illustrations  by  F.  C.  1AKQ^U<S., 

As  The  Tribes  on  My  Frontier  graphically  and   humorously  described   the 
Animal  Surroundings  of  an  Indian  Bungalow,  the  present  work  portrays  with 

much  pleasantry  the  Human  Officials 
thereof,  with  their  peculiarities, 
idiosyncrasies,  and,  to  the  European, 
strange  methods  of  duty. 

The  World. — "These  sketches  may 
have  an  educational  purpose  beyond 
that  of  mere  amusement  ;  they  show 
through  all  their  fun  a  keen  observa- 
tion of  native  character  and  a  just 
appreciation  of  it." 


The  Graphic. — "Anglo  -  Indians 
will  see  how  truthful  are  these 
sketches.  People  who  know  nothing 
about  India  will  delight  in  the  clever 
drawings  and  the  truly  humorous 
"  A  LITTLE  isLOPE."  dcscriptions." 

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TWENTY-ONE  DAYS 


IN  INDIA. 

BEING    THE     TOUR     OF     SIR 
ALI    BABA,    K.C.B. 

By    GEORGE    ABERIGH 
MACKAY. 

"With  Ten  full-page  Illustrations. 

Land  and  Water. — "The  scores  of  letters 
to  ■  Vanity  Fair,'  which  created  such  a  sensa- 
tion in  India  some  years  ago,  have  maintained 
their  popularity  in  a  fashion  which  their  clever- 
ness thoroughly  deserves." 

The  latest  edition  of  the  most  famous  Satire  ever  written  on 
Indian  Society  and  Social  Life.  New  illustrations  have  been 
specially  drawn  for  this  edition  and  further  matter  added. 


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THE   TRIBES   ON   MY   FRONTIER 

AN  INDIAN  NATURALIST'S  FOREICxN  POLICY. 
By  EHA. 

With  Fifty  Illustrations  />y  F.   C.  MACRAE. 


In  this  remarkably  clever  work  there  are  most  graphically  and  humorously 
described  the  surroundings  of  a  Mofussil  bungalow.  I'lie  twenty  chapters  embrace 
a  year's  experiences,  and  provide  endless  sources  of  amusement  and  suggestion. 


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A  NATURALIST  ON  THE  PROWL. 

By  EHA. 

With  Eighty  Illustrations  by 
R.    A.  STERNDALE,  F.R.G.S.,  F./..S. 


•^'^i'T*^ 


In  this  voliune  the  Author  conducts  liis 
readers  to  the  Jungles  and  Country  round  the 
Home,  and  with  genial  humour  and  practised 
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Beasts,  and  Insects. 

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B    2 


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By  ALIPH  CHEEM. 

Illustrated  by  the  Author,  Lionel 
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A   BOOK    DEALING   WITH   THE 

COMMON    BIRDS   AND   BEASTS    OF 

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the  ways  of  the  uninvited  denizens  of  the  bungalow 
and  its' immediate  surroundings." 

Academy  and  Literature.  —  "  .\  chatty  anecdote 
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F.R.G.S.,  F.E.S., 

Imperial  Zoologist  to 

the 
Government  of  India. 


An  entertaining  book  on  the  familiar  Insects  of  India,  with  illustrations 
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of  Insect  Life,  so  far  as  the  plains  of  India  are 
concerned,  has  been  first  systematised  by  Mr. 
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MRS.  FAY'S    "ORIGINAL    LETTERS 
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editor  of  "  Bengal,  Past  and  Present,"  and  three  illustrations. 


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ONOOCOOL    CHUNDER    MOOKERJEE. 

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By  M.  MOOKERJEE. 

The  Tribes  oiiMy  Ttotitier.  — "  The  reader  is  earnestly  advised  to  procure  the 
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INDO-ANGLIAN  LITERATURE. 

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TALES   FROM    INDIAN    HISTORY. 

BEING  THE  ANNALS  OF  INDIA  RE-TOLD  IN  NARRATIVES. 
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COMMON    THOUGHTS    ON    SERIOUS 
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BEING    PLAIN    WORDS    FOR   BOYS. 
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First  Principal  of  the  Rajkumar  College  of  Kathiawar,  India. 
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ECHOES   FROM    OLD   CALCUTTA. 

CHIEFLY    REMINISCENCES   OF   THE   DAYS   OF 

WARREN    HASTINGS,    FRANCIS,    AND    HD'EY. 

By  H.  E.  BUSTEED,  CLE. 

With  an  /iifnid/ictorv  f,.cft('r  from  Lord  Cikzon  of  Kicni.KSToN. 


WARREN    IIAS1IN(;S. 

CONTENTS.— The     Black     Hole,     1756— Capture     ot     Calcutta— The 
Imprisonment— Philip  Francis  and  his  Times— Francis  and  Junius- 
Arrival  of  Francis  in  Calcutta— Nunconiar  (1775)- Duel  l^etween  Hasting^ 
and    Francis  (17S0)— Home  and  Social    Life— The  First   Indian  News- 
paper—Madame   Grand— Letters  from  Warren  Hastin.^s  to  his  \tife— 
An  Old  Calcutta  Grave. 
APPENDICES.— The    Hamilton     Tradition  — Inscriptions     on     the     New 
Monument— Note  on   Site  of  the  Black   Hole— Hastings  and   Impey  in 
relation  to  Trial  of  Nuncomar— Hastings  and  the  Imhoffs— The  Intrigues 
of  a  Nabob— Princess  Talleyrand— The  Move  to  Chunar. 
Daily  Telegraph.— "T)r.  Busteed  has  unearthed  some  astonishing  revelations  of  wliat 
European  Life  in  India  resembled  a  century  bnck." 

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be  lamentable  if  a  book  so  fraught  with  interest  to  all  Englishmen  should  be  restricted  to 
Anglo-Indian  circles.  A  fresh  instalment  of  letters  from  Warren  Hastings  to  his  wife  must  be 
noted  as  extiemely  interesting,  while  the  papers  on  Sir  Philip  Francis,  Nuncomar,  and  the 
romantic  career  of  Mrs.  Grand,  who  became  Princess  Benevento  and  the  wife  of  Talleyrand, 
ought  by  now  to  be  widely  known."' 


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Crown  8vo. ,  cloth,  75.   net.     Rs.  6. 

CALCUTTA  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

By  KATHLEEN   BLECHYNDEN. 

Illustrated  from  Portraits  and  Engravings,  with  a  Colotft'ed  Frontispiece. 

Being  an  outline  Sketch  of  the  principal  events  which  have  made  a  small 
trading  Settlement  into  the  premier  City  of  India,  and  containing  much  interesting 
information  regarding  the  old-time  Buildings,  Inhabitants,  Customs,  and  Life  in 
general  in  Old  Calcutta. 


HASTINGS    HOUSE. 

Capital.  — "  The  authoress  has  arranged  her  material  so  well,  that  everything 
connected  with  the  city  and  its  fortunes  passes  before  the  reader  in  panoramic 
array.  The  social  life  of  the  inhabitants  is  depicted  in  entertaining  fashion,  and 
the  streets,  along  with  the  pedigree  of  their  names,  will  have  a  new  and  living 
interest  to  the  reader  after  he  rises  from  the  banquet  of  the  book." 

The  StatesDian.—"  She  has  succeeded  in  writing  a  gossipy  volume,  that  will 
well  repay  the  bestowal  of  a  leisure  hour.  Miss  Blechynden  has  added  a  pleasantly 
written  and  notable  volume  to  the  library  which  is  already  adorned  by  the 
researches  of  Dr.  Busteed  and  Archdeacon  Hyde." 

The  Indian  Medical  Gazette. — "  It  is  not  only  an  interesting  history  of  Calcutta, 
but  the  authoress  has  succeeded  in  painting  a  life-like  picture  of  the  social  life  in 
old  Calcutta." 


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HARTLY    HOUSE,    CALCUTTA. 

A   NOVEL   OF   THE   DAYS   OF   WARREN    HASTINGS. 

Reprinted  from  the  Edition  of  1789,  with  Notes  by  the  late 

JOHN  MACFARLANE 

(formerly  Librarian  of  the  Imperial  Library,  Calcutta). 

Introduction  by  Mr.  G.  W.   BARWICK, 

Preface  by  Mr.   H.   E.  A.   COTTON,  and  a  Map. 


TH ACKER,    SPINK  &-    CO.,    CALCUTTA. 


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THE  SEVEN  CITIES   OF  DELHL 

By    GORDON    RISLEY    HEARN, 

Captain  Royal  Ejigineers . 
With  24  Illustrations,  and  Plans. 


CONTENTS. 

Modern  Delhi  and  the  Ridge — 
The  Plains  to  the  South  of 
Delhi — The  Seven  Cities  of 
Delhi  —  Old  Delhi  —  Siri, 
Tughlukabad  and  Jaganpanah 
— Firozabad  and  the  Delhi  of 
Sher  Shah — Shah  Jahanabad 
— Delhi  before  the  Moghal 
Conquest — Delhi  in  Moghal 
Times — Delhi  under  "John- 
Company  " — The  Mutiny  of 
1857,  and  the  Siege  — Delhi 
since  1857. 


Western  Morning  News. — 
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that  is  distinctly  superior  to  the 
general  run  of  its  kind."  kutb  minak. 

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foundations,  thereafter  extending  a  compact  and  lucid  narrative  of  development 
onwards  to  the  proclamation  of  the  British  Emperor  of  India  in  1903.  .  .  .  Good 
plans,  many   beautiful   illustrations,    and    a   useful   index    enhance   the   value  of 

the  book." 

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THE   PARISH   OF   BENGAL, 

1678  to  1788. 

By   H.   B.    HYDE,    M.A., 

A  Senior  Chaplain  on  H.M.'s  Indian  Ecclesiastical  Establishment. 
English7nan. — "  Upon  everv  page  is  something  of  interest  and  of  charm    .    .    . 
there  has  seldom  been  a  book  better  worth  buying,  better  worth  reading,  and  better 
worth  keeping  than  Mr.  Hyde's  latest  contribution  to  the  history  of  old  Calcutta.'' 


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SIMLA : 

Past  &  Present 

By  E.  J.  BUCK. 

Dedicated  to    His   Excellency 
Lord  Curzox,  G.M.S.I.,  G.C.I.E. 

Being  a  coin])lete  account  of  the 
Origin,  Early  History,  and  Develoj)- 
ment  of  Simla,  the  Summer  Resi- 
dence of  the  Government  of  India, 
with  descriptions  of  interesting  Per- 
sonages and  their  Residences,  and 
an  account  of  the  Social  Functions 
and  Amusements  of  the  Station. 

/■/ow^-fr—"  Residents  and  Visitors  will 
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the  letterpress.  Nothing  has  been  forgotten. 
It  should  be  read  by  everyone." 

C.  and  M.  Gazette. — "  The  publication  was  first  sugeested  to  Mr.  Buck  by  the  Viceroy. 
It  w.as  a  happy  thought  on  the  part  of  Lord  Curzon,  for  it  has  been  the  means  of  giving  to 
the  literary  public  a  well-written  and  informative  volume." 


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THE     EXPLORATION    OF    TIBET. 

ITS  HISTORY   AND   I'ARTIC  UL.VRS,   FROM    1623  to   1904. 

By  Revd.  GRAHAM  SANDBERG,  B.A. 

With  Maps  of  Tibet  and  Plan  of  the  Sacred  City  of  Lhasa. 

Athenamii. — "  This  is  a  timely  and  valu.able  record  of  the  process  of  exploration  by 
which  Tibet  has  been  gradually  re\ealed  to  Western  ken.  .  .  .  As  >a  chronicle  of  travel 
and  review  of  exploration,  Mr.  Sandberg's  work  merits  praise  for  the  cautious  care  and 
industry  with  which  it  has  been  compiled." 


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THE   HISTORY    OF    ASSAM. 


\ 


By  E.  A.  GAIT,  I.CS. 
With  Photogravure  Plates  and  a  Map. 
CONTENTS. — Prehistoric  and  Traditional  Rulers — The  Period  from  the  Seventh 
to  the  Twelfth  Centuries — Events  of  Thirteenth  to  Fifteenth  Centuries  (excluding 
Ahoni  History) — The  Koch  Kings — The  Rise  of  the  Ahoni  Kingdom — The  Period 
of  the  Muhammadan  Wars — The  Climacteric  of  Ahom  Rule — The  Decay  and  Fall 
of  the  Ahom  Kingdom — 'Ihe  Ahom  System  of  Government — The  Karachis — The 
Jaintia  Kings — Manipur — Sylhet — The  Burmese  War — Consolidation  of  British 
Rule — Relations  with  Frontier  Tribes — Important  Events  of  Recent  Times — 
Growth  of  Tea  Industry. 


THACKER,    SPINK  &=    CO.,    CALCUTTA. 


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HINDU    MYTHOLOGY: 

VEDIC  AND  PURANIC. 
By  Rev.  W.  J.  WILKINS 

(late  of  the  London  Missionary  Society, 
Calcutta). 

Illustrated  by   100  Engravings,  chiefly 
from  Drawings  by  Native  Artists. 

CONTENTS.— Caste.s.  — Origin  and 
Nature  of  Caste — The  Brahmans  Gener- 
ally— The  Hrahmans  of  Nortliern  India — 
The  Brahmans  of  Southern  India — The 
Semi-Brahminicnl  Castes — The  Degraded 
Brahmins  —  The  Military  Castes  —  The 
Scientific  Castes  — The  Writer  Castes — 
The  Mercantile  Castes  —  The  .-\rlisan 
Castes  (Clean  Sudras  and  Unclean  Sudras) 
— The  Clean  Agricultural  Castes— The 
Cowherds  and  Shepherds  —  Clean  and 
Unclean  Castes  in  Domestic  Service. 

Sects. — The  Sivite  and  Semi-Sivite 
Sects  —  The  Saktas  —  The  \'ishnuvite 
Sects — The  Semi-Vishnuvite  and  Guru 
Worshipping  Sects — Hindus  and  Ma- 
homedans — Ruddliism— The  lains. 

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while  it  will  furnish  those  who  may  have  the  desire  without  having  the  time  or 
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information." 


Second  Edition.     Revised.     Crown  8vo.,  js.  6d.     Rs.  5.10. 

MODERN    HINDUISM. 

AX  ACCOUNT  OF  THE    RELIGION  AND  Llli-:  Ol'    llli:    HINDUS  IN 

NORTHERN   INDIA. 

By  Rev.  W.  J.  WILKINS. 

CONTENTS.— Life     and    Worship— Morals— Woman— Caste— Sects— Death  — 

Shradha — Future  Life. 

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HINDU    CASTES    AND    SECTS. 

An  Exposition  of  the  Origin  of  the   Hindu  Caste  System  and  the  bearing  of 
the  Sects  towards  each  other  and  towards  other  Religious  Systems. 

By  Pandit  JOGENDRA  NATH  BHATTACHARYA,  M.A.,  D,L. 

Madras  A/ail.  — "  A  valuable  work.    .    .    .  The  author    has   the    courage  of 
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Second  Edition.     r"rown  8vo.,  clotli,  75.  6d.  net.     Rs.  s- 

THE     HINDOOS    AS    THEY    ARE. 

A   DESCRIPTION    OF    THE    MANx\ERS,    CUSTOMS, 
AND  INNER  LIFE  OF  HINDOO  SOCIETY,  BENGAL. 

By  SHIB  CHUNDER  BOSE. 

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THE    ETHICS    OF    ISLAM, 

By  AMEER  ALI,  CLE. 

An  attempt  towards  the  exposition  of  Islamic  Ethics  in  the  English  language. 
Besides  most  of  the  Koranic  ordinances,  a  number  of  the  precepts  and  sayings  of 
the  Prophet,  the  Caliph  Ali.  and  "Our  Lady  "  are  translated  and  given. 


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CONTRIBUTIONS  TO  THE  HISTORY  OF 
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By  S.  KHUDA  BUKSH,  M.A.,  B.C.L. 

Including  a  Translation  of  Von  Kremer's  "  Culturgeschichtliche  Steifzuge. " 


Volume  I.     Royal  8vo. ,  cloth,   155.   net.     Rs.   10. 

A  HISTORY  OF  THE  GREAT  MOGHULS ; 

Or,  A  History  of  the  Badshahate  of  Delhi  from  1398  A.D.  to 

1738 ;   with    an    Introduction   concerning   the    Mongols  and 

Moghuls  of  Central  Asia. 

By  PRINGLE  KENNEDY,  M.A.,  B.L. 

Second  Edition.     8vo.,  cloth,  6s.     Rs.  4. 

REPRESENTATIVE    INDIANS. 

By  G.  P.  PILLAI,  B.A. 
Forty    Biographies,   with    Portraits. 

Short  Biographies  of  the  best  representatives  of  the  new  type  of  men  who  have 
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THACKER,  SPINK  d-  CO.,  CALCUTTA. 


13 


Invaluable  to  all  who  take  an  interest  in  Naval  Matters. 
PUBLISHED   ANNUALLY. 

THE    NAVAL    POCKET    BOOK, 


Edited  by  GEOFFREY  S.  LAIRD  CLOWES. 

Cloth  161110.,  5iX4X^  in.,  75.  6d.  net.  Ks.  6.9. 
975  pages,  on  thin  paper,  weighing  10  oz. 

ALL  THE    NAVIES   OF  THE   WORLD   AT 
A  GLANCE. 

Containing  complete  information  regarding 
all  the  Navies  of  the  World. 

An  indispensable  Companion  to  the  Naval 
Officer— Active  and  Reserve. 

CONTENTS. —  The  Navies  of  all 
Nations,  Classified  and  .Analytical 
List :  Battleships,  Ironclads,  Gunboats  ; 
Cruisers,  Torpedo  Boats,  and  Destroyers  ; 
Hospital,  Harbour,  Training  Ships,  etc., 
etc.— Dry  Docks— Guns  and  Small 
Arms— Submarines— Vakiols  Useful 
Tables  — Steam  Trials  — Plans  of 
Ships  :  Showing  Armours,  Decks,  etc. — 
Complete  Index  of  Ships  by  Name. 

in   a   letter,    says  :— "  It   is   one   of  the   most 

useful   and   handy   works   of  reference   on   naval   matters  that   I    know   of,    and 
invaluable  to  all  who  take  an  interest  in  naval  matters. " 


Lord  Charles  Beresford, 


DREADNOUGHT 


.'Vrmour,  K.S. 
A.   12  in.   K. 


tl. 


* 


SPECIMEN    ILLUSTRATION. 

Pall  Mall  Gazette. — "  The  information  contained  upon  the  navies  of  the 
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ire  remarkable  for  containing  so  much  in  so  small  a  compass." 

Naval  and  Military  Record.— "■  A  handy  volume  for  use  anywhere  and 
■  erywhere.   .  .  .   Surprisingly  accurate. " 


14  11^.    THACKER  &=    CO.,    LONDON. 

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ITS   HISTORY   FROM    THE   EARLIEST   TIMES. 

Plans,  Photographs,  and  full  descriptions  of  all  Ships  in  the  Japanese  Navy, 
Dockyards,  and  Arsenals. 

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alone  as  a  handbook  to  the  fleet,  but  as  a  complete  guide  to  the  whole  of  the  sea 
service,  and  should  prove  of  unmistakable  value  to  professional  men  of  any 
nationality." 

The  Spectator. — "Our  readers  had  better  study  Mr.  Jane's  book;  it  is  the 
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By  FRED  T.  JANE. 

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Photographs. 

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not  the  least  instructive  part  of  it  being  that  which  deals  with  the  personnel  of  the 
Russian  Navy,  about  which  the  average  English  reader  knows,  as  a  rule,  little  or 
nothing." 

Daily  News. — •"  Mr.  Jane's  volume  of  more  than  700  pages  may  be  described 
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By  E.  E.  MARTIN,  A.V.D. 

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TffACKER,^PINA'  &-  CO.,   CALCUTTA.  15 


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FORTIFICATION    AS    APPLIED    TO 
SCHEMES. 

SPECIALLY  PREPARED   FOR    PROMOTION  EXAMINATIONS. 

By  Lt.-CoL  L.  J.  SHAD  WELL,  p.s,c.,  and 

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NORTH-WEST  FRONTIER  WARFARE. 

By  Colonel  J.  SHERSTON. 

Army  and  Navy  GazeUe. — "The  treatment  of  this  subject  is  most  practical. 
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EXAMINATION. 

By  Lt.-Col.  L.  J.  SHADWELL,  p.s.c.,  Suffolk  Regiment. 

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easily-remembered  form,  which  will  be  found  of  great  assistance  to  the  student." 


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BARROW'S 
SEPOY    OFFICERS^    MANUAL. 

THOROUGHLY    REVISED    AND    BROUGHT    UP    TO   DATE 
By  Lieut.  M.  S.  HEWETT, 

7th  Duke  of  Coi:naught's  Own  Rajputs. 


i6mo. ,  clotli,  2X.  ni't.      Kr.  i..|. 

NOTES   ON   FIRE   TACTICS,  &c., 

AND    ON    MACHINE    GUNS. 

♦  By  Lieut.  BRUCE  TURNBULL,  A.D.,  A.AG.,  Musketry,  I.S.  Troops. 


i6 


IV.   TRACKER  ^  CO.,  LONDON. 


1 


Second  Edition.     Demy  8vo, ,  cloth,   \Qs.6d.     Rs.  7.14. 

BULLET    AND    SHOT 

IN    INDIAN    FOREST,    PLAIN,  AND    HILL. 

WITH  HINTS  TO  BEGINNERS  IN  INDIAN  SHOOTING. 

By  C.  E.  M.  RUSSELL 

(late  Senior  Deputy  Conservator  of  Forests,  Mysore  Service). 

List  of  Contents. 

Tiie  Indian  Bison— Bison  Shooting— Hints  to  Beginners— The  Wild  Buffalo,  the 
Yak,  and  the  Tsine— The  Tiger — Incidents  in  Tiger  Shooting — The  Panther, 
Hunting  Cheetah,  Clouded  Leopard,  Snow  Leopard,  and  Indian  Lion — The 
Chief  Bears  of  India — The  Indian  Elephant — The  Deer  of  India  and  the 
Himalayas — The  Neilgherry  Wild  Goat — The  Wild  Goats  of  Cashmere  and 
Ladakh — The  Wild  Sheep  of  India — The  Rhinacerotidas  and  Suidas  of  India 
— Small  Animals  worth  Shooting — Game  Birds  and  Wild  Fowl  of  India- 
Poachers  and  Nuisances — Camp  Equipment,  Outfit,  Servants,  etc. — ^Rifles, 
Guns,  Ammunition,  etc. — ^Hints  on  Skinning  and  the  Preservation  of  Trophies, 
etc.,  etc. 

Saturday  Review. — "We  have  nothing  but  praise  for  his  accuracy  and  for  the 
value  of  his  practical  advice.  .  .  .  Not  a  few  of  the  chapters  are  very  attractive 
reading,  being  full  of  e.xciting  arvecdote  and  picturesque  reminiscences.  .  .  .  His 
chapters  on  forest  campaigning,  camp  equipment,  and  sporting  batteries  deserve 
careful  attention." 

Civil  and  Military  Gazette  (Lahore). — "  .  .  .  Cannot  fail  to  appeal  tc 
sportsmen  of  every  standing,  from  the  veriest  tyro,  to  whom  it  will  prove 
particularly  useful,  to  the  oldest  hand  at  the  game.  .  .  .  The  general  excellence 
and  completeness  of  the  book  should  ensure  it  the  position  of  a  standard  work." 


Second  Edition.     Post  8vo. ,  2s.  6d.  net.     Rs.  2.4. 


SEONEE; 

OR,    CAMP    LIFE     ON    THE 
SATPURA    RANGE. 

A  Tale  of  Indian  Adventure. 

By  R.  A.  STERNDALE, 
F.R.G.S.,  F.Z.S. 

Jlliistrntrd    hy    the    Author. 


With  an  Appendi.\  containing  a  brief  Topographical  and  Historical  Account 
of  the  District  of  Seonee,  in  the  Central  Provinces  of  India, 


THACKER,  SPINK  ^  CO.,   CALCUTTA. 


17 


Third  Edition.     Demy  410.     36  Plates  and  Map.     ^^i  15.   net.     Rs.  15. 12. 

LARGE    GAME    SHOOTING 

IN   THIBET,   THE   HIMALAYAS,    NORTHERN   AND 
CENTRAL    INDIA. 

By  Brig.-General  ALEX.  A.  A.  KINLOCH. 


.   NYAN    OR   GREAT   THIBETAN    SHEEP. — Ch'is   HodgSOIlii. 

Tiines.—"  Colonel  Kinloch,  who  has  killed  most  kinds  of  Indian  game,  small 
and  great,  relates  incidents  of  his  varied  sporting  experiences  in  chapters  which 
are  each  descriptive  of  a  different  animal.  The  photogravures  of  the  heads  of 
many  of  the  animals,  from  the  grand  gaur,  popularly  miscalled  the  bison,  down- 
wards, are  extremely  clever  and  spirited." 

Crraphic.  —  "  This  splendidly  illustrated  record  of  sport.  .  .  The  photogravures, 
especially  the  heads  of  the  various  antelopes,  are  life-like  ;  and  the  letterpress  is 
very  pleasant  reading." 

C 


i8  IV.    TH ACKER  6-    CO.,    LONDOM. 

Fourth  Edition,  Enlarged.     Cloth  (6^  x  4),  7.?.  dd.  net.     Rs.  5. 

THE  INDIAN  FIELD  SHIKAR  BOOK, 

By  W.  S.  BURKE, 

Editor  and  Proprietor  of  "The  Indian  Field." 

CONTENTS.— Big  Game  Records  of  Trophies  :  Local  Names,  Habitat, 
Description,  Measurements,  etc. — Land  and  Water  Game  Birds  :  Local 
Names,  Habitat,  Description,  Measurements,  Weights,  Coloration,  etc. — f^isii  : 
River,  Estuarial  and  Tank,  Tackle,  Baits,  Seasons,  Local  Names,  Weights, 
Measurements,  Description,  etc. — C.'\MP  EQi'rPMF;NT  :  Guns,  Rifles  and  Ammuni- 
tion, Dak  Bungalows,  Shikar  Wrinkles,  Latest  Game  Laws  and  Regulations  for  all 
the  Sporting  Districts  of  India,  Game  Registers  in  Separate  Pocket  (Refills 
available),  and  much  Miscellaneous  Sporting  Information. 

Compiled  from  the  highest  authorities  and  brojight  completely  up  to  date. 

The  Englishman. — "A  long-felt  want  has  been  supplied.  .  .  .  The  feature 
that  strikes  one  most  is  the  completeness  of  the  work  .  .  .  should  be  of  the 
very  greatest  use  to  sportsmen  .   .   .  unique  and  valuable  in  every  respect." 

The  Pioneer. — "  A  very  useful  little  shikar  pocket  book  .  .  .  gives  all  the 
information  that  will  enable  a  shooter  to  identify  a  game  bird  or  ascertain  whether 
he  has  been  lucky  enough  to  get  a  record  head.  .  .  .  Contains  a  quantity  ot 
information  of  a  very  practical  nature.  .  .  .  No  sportsman  who  invests  Rs.  5  in 
the  Indian  Field  handbook  is  likely  to  regret  it." 

Second  Edition.     Fcap.  8vo.,  cloth,  bs.  net.     Rs.  4. 

THE    SPORTSMAN'S    MANUAL. 

In  Quest  of  Game  in  Kulu,  Lahoul,  and  Ladak  to  the  Tso  Morari 

Lake,  with  Notes  on  Shooting  in  Spiti,  Bara  Bagahal,  Chamba, 

and  Kashmir,  and  a  Detailed  Description  of  Sport  in  more  than 

100  Nalas.     With  9  Maps. 

By   Lt.-CoI.  R.  H.   TYACKE,  late  H.M/s  98th  and  34th  Regiments. 

Those  who  wish  to  shoot  in  the  Kangra  District,  or  right  up  to  Ladak,  could 
not  do  better  than  to  get  that  interesting  and  well-written  little  book  by  Colonel 
Tyacke,  the  most  practical  work  ever  penned  by  a  Himalayan  sportsman. — -The 
Excerpt  from  "The  Guide  to  Dharmsala,  the  Kangra  Valley,  and  Kulu."  By 
J.  Fitzgerald  Lee. 


\ 


Second  Edition.       Crown  8vo. ,   cloth,    150  pages,  35.  6d.   net.       Rs.  2.8. 

USEFUL    HINTS    TO    YOUNG 
SHIKARIS 

ON  THE  GUN  AND  RIFLE. 
By  the  "LITTLE  OLD  BEAR." 

Containing  information  on  every  subject  necessary  for  the  young   Shikar — 
from  his  rifle,  gun,  and  ammunition  to  his  camp  kit  and  dress. 


THACKER,    SPINK  &>    CO.,  CALCUTTA. 


IQ 


Imperial  161110.,  cloth,  580  [jages,  6s.  lu-t.      Rs.  4.8. 

i  A    NATURAL    HISTORY    OF 

THE    MAMMALIA    OF    INDIA, 

BURMAH    AND    CEYLON. 
By  R.  A.    STERNDALE,    F.R.G.S.,  F.Z.S. 


With   170  Illustrations   by   the 
Author   and   others. 

'i  he  geographical  limits  of  the  pre- 
sent work  have  been  extended  to  all 
territories  likely  to  be  reached  by  the 
sportsman  from  India.  It  is  copiously 
illustrated,  not  only  by  the  author 
himself,  but  by  careful  selections  made 
by  him  from  the  works  of  well-known 
artists. 

Knowledge. — "  It  is  the  very  model  of 
what  a  popular  natural  history  should  be. " 

The  Times. — "The  book  will,  no 
doubt,  be  specially  useful  to  the  sports- 
man, and  indeed  has  been  extended  so 
as  to  include  all  territories  likely  to  be 
reached  by  the  sportsman  from  India." 

The  Daily  News.— "  Has  contrived  to 
hit  a  happy  mean  between  the  stift 
scientific  treatise  and  the  bosh  of  what 
may  be  called  anecdotal  zoology." 


Oblong  folio  (18  X  14),  paper  boards,  7s.  6d.   net.      Rs.  5.     • 

DENIZENS    OF    THE    JUNGLES. 

A  SERIES  OF  SKETCHES 
OF  WILD  ANIMALS, 
ILLUSTRATING  THEIR 
FORM  AND  NATURAL 
ATTITUDE. 


By  R.  A,  STERNDALE, 
F.R.G.S.t  F.Z.S. 

Twelve  Magnificent  Plates,  with 
full  descriptive  letterpress. 


PV.    rn ACKER   <5r-   CO.,  LONDON. 


I'oiirth  Edition.     Super  royal  8vo.,  cloth  gilt,  338  pages,  14-f.  net.     Rs.  12.4. 

GAME,  SHORE,  AND  WATER  BIRDS 
OF  INDIA. 

WITH  ADDITIONAL  REFERENCES  TO  THEIR  ALLIED 
SPECIES  IN  OTHER  PARTS  OF  THE  WORLD. 

By  Colonel  A.  LE  MESSURIER,  CLE.,  F.Z.S.,  F.G.S. 

(late  Royal  Engineers),  Author  of 
"  Kandahar  in  1879,"    "  Frorri  London  to  Bokhara  and  a  Ride  through  Persia."    j 


/•w.i- 


Pi 


■M 


With  180  natural  size  Illustrations  from  actual  specimens. 

A    Vade    Mecum    for    the    Sportsman,  embracing    all    the   Birds   at   all 
likely  to  be  met  -with  in  a  Shooting  Excursion. 

Nature. — "  Colonel  Le  Messurier  writes  as  a  field  naturalist  for  field  naturalists 
and  sportsmen  without  any  great  pretensions  to  scientific  knowledge,  but  thers  is 
no  doubt  that  all  naturalists  will  gain  useful  hints  from  this  little  volume,  which 
is  profusely  illustrated  with  woodcuts  giving  the  characteristic  features  of  most  of 
the  species." 

Knowledge. — "  Compact  in  form,  excellent  in  method  and  arrangement,  and  as 
far  as  we  have  been  able  to  test  it,  rigidly  accurate  in  details,  Colonel  Le  Messurier's 
book  should  become  the  vade  tnecuni  of  every  sportsman  and  naturalist  whom  duty 
or  pleasure  may  compel  to  visit  India." 

Madras  Times. — "  Neatly  and  handily  bound,  well  printed  and  clearly 
illustrated,  the  book  undoubtedly  fills  a  void  in  the  literature  of  the  day.  The 
work  is  well  arranged,  and  will  probably  fully  answer  the  requirements  of  even  a 
veteran  sportsman." 


THACKER,    SPINK   &^    CO.,    CALCUTTA. 


THE    INDIAN    DUCKS 
AND  THEIR  ALLIES. 

By  E.  C.  STUART  BAKER,  F.Z.S.,  M.B.O.U. 

BEING  A  REPRINT   OF    ARTICLES    CONTRIBUTED 

TO    THE   JOURNAL    OF    THE    BOMBAY    NATURAL 

HISTORY  SOCIETY  ON  THIS  ATTRACTIVE  GROUP 

OF   BIRDS. 


For  particulars  see  page  26. 


Second  Edition.     Crown  8vo.,  paper  cover,  zs.  6d .  net.      Re.  1.12. 

THE    BIRDS    OF    CALCUTTA. 

A    SERIES    OF    SHORT 

HUMOROUS   BUT  FAITHFUL 

DESCRIPTIONS  OF  THE 

COMMON  BIRDS  OF 

CALCUTTA. 

By  FRANK  FINN,  F.Z.S., 
M.B.O.U. 

(late  Deputy  Superintendent, 
Calcutta  Museum). " 

iVilh  Illustrations  by  HERBERT  GOODCHILD. 

Field.— ••There  is  a  good  deal  of  bird  life  to  be   observed   in   and   around 
Calcutta,  to  which  Mr.  Finn's  little  book  will  serve  as  a  useful  guide,  especially  as 
•     it  has  some  good  illustrations  by  Mr.  Herbert  Goodchild." 


W.    THACKER  &-    CO.,   LONDON. 


Crown  8vo. ,  sewed,  ^s.  net.      Ks.  3.8. 

HOW  TO  KNOW 
THE  INDIAN 
WADERS. 

By 

FRANK  FINN,  B.A.  (Oxon.), 

F.Z.S.,  M.B.O.U. 

^  I'erching     Waders  —  Non-Perching 
Waders  (including  Snipe). 

Civil  and  AlilHary  Gazette. — 
' '  The  author  is  a  naturalist  in  the 
best  sense  of  the  word,  a  close  fi 
observer  and  a  humorous  writer  to 
hoot.  He  gives  an  interesting  account 
of  every  species  he  describes." 


Crown  8vo. ,  Iwards,  y.  6d.  net.     Rs.  2.8. 

THE  WATERFOWL   OF  INDIA 
AND   ASIA. 


Being  a  New  and  Enlarged  Edition  of 
"HOW  TO  KNOW  THE  INDIAN 
DUCKS,"  but  including  those  species 
of  these  Waterfowl  which  are  found 
in  Asia. 

By  FRANK  FINN,  B.A.  (Oxon.) 
F.Z.S.,  M.B.O.U. 

IVil/i  Niimcrous  Illiistratioiix. 


To  be  followed  by    THE    GAME    BIRDS    OF    INDIA    AND    ASIA. 
By  the  same  Author, 


THACKER,  SPINK  &=  CO.,   CALCUTTA.  23 

Small  4to. ,  paper  boards,  5^.  net.     Rs.  3.8. 

GARDEN  AND  AVIARY  BIRDS  OF 

INDIA. 

A  HANDBOOK  FOR  FIELD  NATURALISTS  AND 
BIRD  FANCIERS. 

With  IlliistyatLons  drawn  from  Life. 

By  FRANK  FINN,  B.A.,  F.Z.S.,  M.B.O.U. 

Giving  a  complete   description   of  ONE  HUNDRED  birds,   with  seven 
plates  of  thirty-one  different  species. 


Pioneer.— "Th'K  'pleasant  little  book  will  serve  as  an  introduction  to  Indian 
Ornithology,  and  as  a  very  useful  guide  to  those  whose  hobby  is  bird-kecpmg." 

Indian  Field.—"  No  one  who  keeps  an  aviary  in  India  can  afford  to  be 
without  Mr.  Finn's  little  mainial." 


24 


PV.   TH ACKER  &'  CO.,  LONDON. 


Third  Edition.     Demy  8vo.,  cloth  \^s.     Rs.  11.4. 

THE    ROD    IN    INDIA, 

BEING  HINTS  HOW  TO    OBl^AIN   SPORT,  WITH 

REMARKS    ON    THE    NATURAL    HISTORY    OF    FISH 

AND  THEIR   CULTURE. 

By  H.  S.  THOMA.S,  F.L.S.  (Madias  Civil  Service,   Retired), 
Author  of  "Tank  Angling  in  India." 

With    numerous   full-page  and   other  Illustrations. 


Field. — "  A  masterly  treatise  on  the  art  of  angling." 

Spectator. — "A  more  complete  guide  to  its  subject  than  could  be  found 
elsewhere." 

Illustrated  Sporting  and  Dramatic  News. —  "His  book  has  been  for  years  a 
standard  work.  Perhaps,  without  injustice  to  others,  it  may  be  described  as  the 
standard  work  upon  Indian  angling." 

Field. — "  To  the  angler  going  out  to  India,  Mr.  Thomas's  book  will  be  a 
necessary  part  of  his  outfit." 


ANGLING 


Crown  8vo.,  cloth.     Rs.  4. 

ON    THE 
LAKES, 


KUMAON 


WITH  A  MAP  OF  THE  KUMAON  LAKE  COUNTRY 
AND  PLAN   OF  EACH  LAKE. 

By  Deputy-Surgeon-Gencral  "W.  WALKER. 

Hayes'  Sporting  News. — "Written  with   all   the   tenderness   and   attention    !■ 
detail  which  characterises  the  followers  of  the  gentle  art." 


TRACKER,   SPINK  &-   CO.,    CALCUTTA. 


25 


Second  Edition.     Imperial  i6mo. ,  cloth,  ?>s.  6d.  net.     Rs.  7.7. 
THE    COMMON    SENSE    OF    RIDING. 

RIDING     FOR     LADIES. 

WITH  HINTS  ON  THE  STABLE. 
By  Mrs.  POWER  O'DONOGHUE. 

With   68    Illustrations   by  A.    Chantkey    Corboulu. 

This  able  and   beautiful   Volume  forms  a  standard  on  the  subject,  and  is  one 
which  no  lady  can  dispense  with. 


Revie-ws  of  Second  Edition. 

The  Lady.—"  Probably  the  best  book  on  riding  that  has  ever  been  wiitten.' 

Irish  Field.—"  Her  style  is  clear  and  convincing,  and  what  she  has  to  say  she 
s.ivs  in  the  simplest  possible  manner. " 

Lady's  Pictoi-ial.~"  l>io  more  complete  treatise  on  equitation  could  easily 
be  put  forward."  , 

Ladies  Field.—"  Advice  on  all  points  connected  with  the  subject  is  so  clearly 
given  .   .   .   that  not  onlv  beginners  but  experienced  riders  will  find  it  invaluable. 

The  Queen.— "The  volume  has  been  carefully  written,  and  shows  great 
observation  on  the  part  of  the  writer." 


26 


IV.    TH ACKER    &-    CO.,    LONDON. 


Super  roval  8vo. ,  half  morocco,  gilt  top.       Rs.  50. 

THE   INDIAN   DUCKS 

AND  THEIR  ALLIES. 

By  E.  C.  STUART  BAKER,  F.Z.S.,  M  B.O.U. 

BEING   A   REPRINT   OF   ARTICLES   CONTRIBUTED  TO  THE   JOURNAL  OF 

THE     BOMBAY     NATURAL     HISTORY     SOCIETY     ON     THIS     ATTRACTIVE 

GROUP   OF   BIRDS. 


This  most  important  work  on  Indian  ( )rnithoIogy  consists  of  about  300 
pages  of  letterpress,  with  30  Chromo-lithographed  Plates.  Prepared  under 
the  supervision  of  the  well-known  bird  artist  Mr.  Ilenrik  Gronvald. 

CONTENTS.— The  Whoopcr— The  Mute  Swan— The  Nukhta  or  Comb-Uuck 
The  White-winged  Wood-Duck — The  Pink-headed  Duck — The  Cotton-Teal— The 
White-fronted  Goose — The  Har-headed  Goose — The  (Greater  Whistling-Teal — The 
Lesser  or  Common  Whistling-Teal — The  Sheldrake — The  Ruddy  Sheldrake  or 
Brahminy  Duck — The  Common  Wild  Duck  or  Mallard— The  Spot-bill  or  (irey- 
Duck — The  Bronze-capped  'leal — The  Gadwall — The  Wigeon — The  Common 
Teal — The  Andaman  Teal — The  Pintail — The  Garganey  or  Blue-wing  Teal — The 
Sho\'eller — The  Marbled  Duck — The  Red-crested  Pochard — The  I'ochard  or  Dun 
Bird — The  Eastern  White-eye — The  White-eyed  Pochard  or  White-eye — The 
Crested  Pochard  or  Tufted  Pochard — The  White-headed  or  Stiff-tail  Duck — The 
Smew — The  Red-breasted  Merganser. 

Times  of  India. — "  The  book  i.s  one  whicli  will  undoubtedly  be  warmly  welcomed  by 
the  naturalist  and  sportsman  in  this  country,  as  with  the  exception  of  Hume  &  Marshall's 
'  Game  Birds  of  India  and  Ceylon,'  which  has  long  been  practically  unobtainable,  no  other  work 
of  the  same  kind  dealing  with  our  Indian  ducks  is,  so  far  as  we  are  aware,  in  existence." 

India}!  Field. — "  .Stuart  Baker's  '  Indian  Ducks  '  is  a  volume  which  every  Indian  ornithol- 
ogist ought  to  possess.  The  style  in  which  it  is  written  is  clear  and  interesting  ;  the  type  and 
paper  are  good  ;  and  the  whole  get-up  makes  it  an  acquisition  to  any  library.  The  author 
has  our  unstinted  praise  and  deserves  our  sincerest  congratulations." 

T/ic  Asia)!. — "  From  cover  to  cover  the  book  is  compact  witli  description  and  incident  of 
interest  to  ornithologist  and  sportsman  alike." 

Ra7!gptin  Gazette. — "  The  work  is  a  most  valuable  contribution  to  the  literature  of  the 
subject.  The  very  fine  coloured  plates,  of  which  there  are  thirty  by  capable  artists,  are  a 
feature  of  the  work,  and  the  keys  and  descriptions  are  excellent." 


TH ACKER,  SPINK  Ss'  CO.,  CALCUTTA. 


27 


Second  Edition.     Crown  8vo.,  i.f.  6d.  net.      Re.  i. 

i     NOTES    ON    STABLE    MANAGEMENT. 

WITH  GLOSSARY  OF  HINDUSTANI 
WORDS. 

By  Vety.   Col.  J.   A.   NUNN, 
F.R.C.V.S.,  CLE.,  D.S.O. 

This  little  work  is  written  specially  to  give 
the  new  arrival  in  India  some  idea  as  to  the 
management  of  his  horses,  especially  those 
who  are  getting  up  a  stable  for  the  first  time. 
It  contains  invaluable  hints  and  information, 
only  to  be  learned  in  the  ordinary  way  by 
long  and  often  bitter  experience. 

Indian  Daily  News. — "The  notes  are  eniinently 
practical,  and  give  sound  advice  on  everything 
pertaining  to  the  proper  care  of  horses,  such  as  can  be 
utilised  by  the  uninitiated  to  the  best  advantage." 

Fifth  Edition.     Fcap.  8vo.,  cloth,  3^.  net..    Rs.  2. 

INDIAN    HORSE    NOTES. 

By  Major  C . 


An  Epitome  of  Useful   Information  arranged  for  ready  reference  on  iMnergencies, 

and  specially  adapted  for  Officers  and  Mofussil   Residents.      All  technical  terms 

explained  and  simplest  remedies  selected. 


Fcap.  8vo.,  limp  cloth,  i.v.  6d.  net.     Re.  i. 

GUIDE  TO   EXAMINATION  OF  HORSES 
FOR    SOUNDNESS. 

A    HANDBOOK    FOR    STUDENTS    AND    BEGINNERS. 
By  J.  MOORE,  F.R.C.V.S.,  Army  Vety.  Dept. 

Crown  8vo.,  cloth,  %■;.  net.      Rs.  2. 

STATION    POLO. 

By   Lieut.  HUGH  STEWART  (Lucifer). 

Contents. 
THE  POLO  PONY:  The   Raw  Pony— Preliminary  Training— First  Introduction 
—Stable  Management  — Tricks  — Injuries  — Shoeing.      ST.\T10N    POLO: 
Station  Polo,  How  shall  we  Play  ?— The  Procrastinator— The  Polo   Scurr\ — 
Idiosyncrasies— Types— Individual  v.  Combined  Tactics— Odds  and  Ends. 

PUBLICATIONS   OF   THE   CALCUTTA   TURF   CLUR 


CALCUTTA    RACING   CALENDAR. 

Published  .Annually.      IVap.   8vo. ,   cloth.    1 5.V.   n.n.      k>.    10. 

1^  RULES    OF    RACING. 

'  (rst  .Aiiril,    iqoy.  i     i'cap.   Svo. ,  cloth,  3..   net.      Rs.   2. 


28 


W.   THACKER  dy    CO.,  LONDON. 


Second  Edition.     Crown  8vo.,  cloth,   53-.  net.      Rs.  4.6. 

DOGS    FOR    HOT    CLIMATES. 

A  Guide  for  Residents  in  Tropical  Climates  as  to  suitable  Breeds,  their  respective 
I'ses,   Management,  and  Doctoring. 

By  VERO  SHAW  and  Captain  M.  H.  HAYES. 

Enlarged  and  brought   up   to  date  by  W.   S.  BURKE, 

Editor  0/  "  TJie  Indian  Field." 

With  24  Illustrations  from  Photographs. 


hidian  Planters'  Gazette.  —  "The  authors  of  'Dogs  for  Hot  Climates'  show 
in  a  concise  practical  way  how  to  treat  dogs,  and  what  breeds  best  stand  hot 
climates.  The  book  should  be  on  every  one's  table,  for  sensible  treatment  wil' 
save  the  life  of  many  a  valuable  and  much-loved  pet." 


Eighth  Edition.     Fcap.  8vo.,  cloth,  2s.  6d.  net.     Re.  1.8. 

INDIAN    NOTES  ABOUT    DOGS: 

THEIR    DISEASES    AND    TREATMENT. 
By  Major  C . 

Thoroughly  revised  and  brought  up  to  date  by  a  Member  of  the  Civil 
Veterinary  Dept.,  India. 

Medical  Treatment — Rules  for  Feeding — Prescriptions — Diseases  of  Dogs — 
Description  of  Various  Breeds — Advice  on  the  Importation  of  Dogs 
to  India — Hindustani  Vocabulary. 


TH ACKER,  SPINK  dT'    CO.,  CALCUTTA. 


29 


Crown  8vo. ,   cloth,  4.?.  6d.  net.      Rs.  3. 

THE  MANAGEMENT  AND  BREEDING  OF 
DOGS  IN  INDIA. 

AND   THE    POINTS   TO    BREED    FOR. 
By  KADER 

(Asste.   of  the  EngHsh  Kennel  Club). 

Asian. — "  A  book  of  this  kind,  in  a  country  where  good  and  experienced  judges 
lit-  scarce,  and  where  reference  to  standard  authority  is  often  needed,  was 
much  wanted." 


Crown  8vo.,  cloth,  4^-.  6d.  net.      Rs.  3. 

THE    INDIAN   COOKERY   BOOK. 

By    a   Thirty   Years* 
Resident. 

A  PRACTICAL  HAND- 
BOOK TO  THE  KITCHEN 
IN      INDIA,      ADAPTED 

TO    THE 

THREE  PRESIDENCIES. 

Containing  original  and  Approved 
Recipes  in  every  Department  of 
Indian  Cookery — Recipes  for  Sum- 
mer Beverages  and  Home-made 
Liqueurs  —  Medicinal  and  other 
Recipes,  together  with  a  variety  of 
things  worth  knowing. 

Pioneer. — "The  oldest  but  still 
the  best  cookery  book." 

Urdu  Translation  of  the  above  in  Persian  Character,  4s.  6d.    Rs.  3. 


Second  Edition.     Crown  8vo.,  boards,  3^.  6d.  net.      Rs.  2.8. 

BAKER    AND    COOK. 

A    DOMESTIC    MANUAL   FOR    INDIA. 
By  Mrs.  R.  TEMPLE  WRIGHT. 

Pioneer.  —  "  The  outcome  of  long  experience  and  many  patient  experiments." 
Englishman. — "  No  better  authority  on  matters  relating  to  the  Kitchen  and 
all  that  pertains  to  cuisine  is  to  be  found  than  Mrs.  Temple  Wriglit." 


30 


py.   TH ACKER   &-    CO.,   LONDON. 


Crown  8vo.,  paper  boards,  y.  net.     Rs.  2. 

"WHAT"   AND   "HOW," 

UK, 

WHAT     SHALT.     Wli     HAVE?     and 

HOW     SHALL     WE     HAVE     IT? 
By  Miss  E.  S.  POYNTER. 

This  book  does  not  aim  at  being  an  Instructor  in  the  Art  of  Cookery.  It  h;is 
been  written  to  meet  a  long-felt  need,  a  cheap  handbook,  giving  a  variety  of  dislus 
made  of  materials  readily  obtained  in  any  part  of  India. 

Third  Edition.     Crown  8vo.,  cloth,  600  pacjes,  4.?.  6d.  net.      Rs.  3. 

THE   MEMSAHIB'S 

BOOK   OF    COOKERY. 

Times  of  India. —  "  It  contains  much  useful  information,  and  cannot 
fail  to  be  of  assistance  to  all." 

i8nio.,  cloth,  i.v.  6(1!'.    net.     Re.   i. 

BOOK  OF  CAKES,  BISCUITS,  &c. 

WITH    REMARKS  ON    OVENS,  AND  A  HINDU- 
STANI   VOCABULARY. 

By  CARRIE  CUTCREWE. 

Crown  8vo.,  paper  boards,  4?.  bd.  net.     Rs.  3. 

SIMPLE    MENUS   AND    RECIPES. 

FOR    CAMP,    HOME,    AND    NURSERY. 
By  LUCY  CARNE. 

Containing  Menus  and  Recipes  for  Meals  in  Camp — 
Afternoon  Teas — Station  Dinners — Meals  for  Children, 
and  many  useful  Hints  for  Housewives  in  India. 


Third  Edition.     Long  i2mo.,  paper  boards,  y.  net.     Rs.  2. 

EVERYDAY  MENUS   FOR 
INDIA. 

By  W.  S.  BURKE,  Editor  "  Indian  Field." 

These  Everyday  Menus  are  such  as  any  average  Native 
Cook  can  undertake,  and  have  been  selected  with  special 
regard  to  the  moderate  purse. 

Contents. 

Everyday  Menus  :  March  to  June,  July  to  October, 
November  to  February — Kitchen  Calendar — Hot  and 
Cold  Weather  Dinners — Special  Breakfasts — Recipes. 


TH ACKER,  SPINK  &-  CO.,   CALCUTTA.  31 

USEFUL  MANUALS  by  Miss  PEARSON  and  Mrs.  BYRDE. 

1-imp  paper.      Crown  8vo.       I'^acli  if.  6</.  net.      Re.   1. 

BREAD,  PASTRY,  AND  BUTTER  MAKING 

L\  INDIA  AND  THE  COLONIES. 

SWEETS    AND    HOW  TO   MAKE   THEM. 

A   HANDBOOK   OF   CONFECTIONERY. 

INVALID  COOKERY. 

A    HANDBOOK   FOR   THE    SICK    ROOM. 
Now  Ready.       Two  Volumes.     Demy  8vo. ,  6j.  net.      Rs.  4. 

THINGS   FOR   THE   COOK. 


(NFMAT-KHANA.) 

By  ^'SHALOT.*' 

A  NEW  COOKERY  BOOK. 

Vol.  I.,  English,  Rs.   2;  Vol.  II., 
Urdu,  Rs.  2. 

This  most  useful  book  is  pub- 
lished in  two  volumes — the  first 
in  English,  designed  for  the 
housekeeper,  the  second  in 
Urdu,  for  the  cook  ;  the  numbers 
of  the  Recipes  correspond  in 
both.  The  author,  who  has  had 
many  years'  intimate  experience 
of  Indian  Cookery,  has  collected 
together  a  most  varied  and  taste- 
ful assortment  of  proved  receipts. 
It  is  hoped  that  the  novel 
arrangement  of  placing  Urdu  and 
PInglish  equally  at  the  disposal 
of  purchasers  of  the  book  will 
smooth  over  the  many  difficulties 
that  have  hitherto  existed  in 
making  the  Cook  understand 
what  is  actually  wanted. 


32 


W.    TH ACKER  &-    CO.,  LONDON. 


Second  Edition.     (Vown  8vo. ,  6r.  net.      Rs.  4.8. 

COW     KEEPING     IN     INDIA. 

By  ISA  TWEED. 

A  Simple  and  Practical  Book  on  their   Care  and  Treatment,   their  various 
Breeds,  and  the  means  of  rendering  them  profital)le. 

fi'ifk  39  Illustrations  of  the  various  Breeds  oj 

Cattle,    drawTi  from    fhotographs   3j'  R,    A. 

Sterndale. 

Home  News. — "  By  the  aid  of  this  vohime 
anyone  of  ordinary  intelHgence  and  industrj' 
could  keep  cows  certainly  with  advantage, 
possibly  even  with  profit  to  themselves." 

Madras  Mail. — "  A  most  useful  contribution 
to  a  very  important  subject,  and  we  can  strongly 
recommend  it." 


Third  Edition.     Crown  Svo. ,  boards,  3J-.  net.      Rs.  2. 

COWS   IN    INDIA    AND    POULTRY. 

THEIR  CARE  AND  MANAGEMENT. 
By  Mrs.  JAMES. 

Civil  and  Military  Gazette. — "A   simple   and    practical   book,    the   result    of 
personal  observation  and  experience." 


Third  Edition.    Crown  Bvo. ,  3^'.  6d.  net.      Rs.  2.8. 

POULTRY    KEEPING    IN    INDL\. 


By  ISA  TWEED. 

A  Simple  and  Practical  Book  on  the  Care 
and  Treatment  of  Poultry,  their  various 
Breeds,  and  the  means  of  rendering  them 


profitable. 
Fitllv  Illustrated. 


k 


Madras  Mail. — "A  book  which  will  be 
found  of  great  use  by  all  those  who  keep  a 
poultry-yard." 


THACKER,    SPINK  6-    CO.,    CALCUTTA. 


( J"owii  8vo. ,  paper  boards,  3,*.  bd.  net.      Rs.  2.8. 

CANARY  KEEPING   IN   INDIA. 

By  ISA  TWEED. 

A  Simple  and  Practical  Book  on  their  Care  and  Treatment  and  Selection. 

With   7iumeroiis   Illustrations.  ^^r^\. 

Contents.  —  The  Canary  Bird  — 
Cages  —  Food  Stuff  —  Varieties 
of  Birds — Selecting  and  Mating 
— Breeding — Moult — Aviaries  — 
Canary  Miscellany  —  Buying  — 
Vermin  —  Colour  -  Feeding  — 
Diseases. 


Crown  Bvo. ,  clotli,  3.*-.  61/.  net.      Rs.  2.8. 

HANDBOOK    ON    DUCKS,    GEESE, 
TURKEYS, 

GUINEA-FOWLS,    PEA-HENS,     PIGEONS, 
AND  RABBITS. 

By    ISA   TWEED. 

Fully  Illustrated. 


A  Simple  and  Practical  Book  on  their 
Care  and  Treatment,  their  various  Breeds, 
and   the  means  of  rendering  them  proht- 
\  able. 


34 


tV.    TH ACKER  &>   CO.,   LONDON. 


Fifth  Edition.     Imperial  i6mo. ,  cloth,  700  pages,  15^.  net.     Rs.  10. 

A    MANUAL     OF     GARDENING 

FOR  BENGAL,  UPPER  AND  SOUTHERN   INDIA. 

By  Rev.  T.  A.  C.  FIRMINGER,  M.A. 
With  Portrait  and  Biography. 

Thoroughly  revised  and  brought  up  to  date  by  J.  Cameron,  F.L.S., 
Supt.  Mysore  Government  Gardens,  Bangalore. 

CONTENTS : 

Part  1. 
Gardening  Operations. 
Chap.  I.   Climate — Soil — Manures. 
Chap.  II.  Laying  Out  a  Garden — 
Lawns— Hedges— Hoeing   and 
Digging— Irrigation-  Drainage 
—  Conservatories — BetelHouses 
— Decorations  —  Implements — 
Shades  • —  Labels  — Vermin  — 
Weeds. 
Chap.  III.  Seeds — Seed  Sowing  — 
Pot    Culture  —  Planting    and 
Transplanting   —    Cuttings  — 
Layers  —  Gootee-Grafting  and 
Arching  —  Budding  —  Pruning 
and    Root-Pruning  —  Convey- 
ance— Calendar  of  Operations. 

Part  II. 

The  Vegetable  Garden. 

Part  III. 

The  Fruit  Garden  and  Fernery. 

Part  IV. 

The  Flower  Garden— Index. 

Indian  Field.— "From  beginning  to  end  this  revision  of  the  Fifth  Edition  of 
an  old  popular  work  which  past  generations  have  regarded  as  a  vade  mecvm,  teems 
with  the  minutest  instructions,  all  being  brought  up  to  date  by  the  reviser,  who  must 
have  devoted  an  enormous  amount  of  time,  labour,  and  observation  to  the  compila- 
tion. .  .  .  Freely  embellished  with  woodcuts,  the  work  forms  a  regular  epitome 
for  the  student,  while  to  those  of  experience  the  copious  index  in  which  the 
botanical,  common  and  native  names  of  the  plants  are  given,  will  prove  of  service 
as  a  ready  reference." 


Second  Edition.     Crown  8vo.,  cloth,  35.  6d.  net.      Rs.  2.8. 

THE   AMATEUR    GARDENER    IN 
THE   HILLS. 

Hints  from  various  authorities  on  Garden  Management  adapted  to  the  Hills  ; 
also  a  few  Hints  on  Fowls,  Pigeons,  and  Rabbits,  and  various   Recipes  con- 
nected -with  the  above  subjects  which  are  not  commonly  found  in  recipe  books. 
By  AN   AMATEUR. 


TH ACKER,  SPINK  &-  CO.,  CALCUTTA. 


35 


Fourth  Edition.     Post  8vo.,  boards,  y.  6d.  net.     Ks.  2.8. 

FLOWERS  AND  GARDENS  IN  INDIA. 

A  MANUAL  FOR  BEGINNERS. 
By  Mrs.  R.  TEMPLE   WRIGHT. 

Civil  and  Military  Gasetie. — "A  most  useful  little  book  which  we  cannot 
too  strongly  recommend.  We  can  recommend  it  to  our  readers  with  the  utmost 
confidence,  as  being  not  only  instructive,  but  extremely  interesting,  and  written  in 
a  delightfully  easy,  chatty  strain." 

Pioneer.  —  "  Very  practical  throughout.  There  could  not  be  better  advice  than 
this,  and  the  way  it  is  given  shows  the  enthusiasm  of  Mrs.  Temple  Wright." 


Imperial  i6nio. ,  cloth,   \2s.   6d.     Rs.  9.6. 

A   HANDBOOK   TO 

THE   FERNS    OF   INDIA,   CEYLON, 
AND  THE  MALAY  PENINSULA, 

By  Colonel  R.  H.  BEDDOME,  F.S.I. 

(late  Conservator  of  Forests,  Madras). 

With  300  Illustrations. 

Nature — "It  is  the  first  speciarbook 
of  portable  size  and  moderate  price  which 
has  been  devoted  to  Indian  Kerns,  and  is 
in  every  way  deserving  of  the  extensive 
circulation  it  is  sure  to  obtain." 

Indian  Daily  News. — "I  have  just 
seen  a  new  work  on  Indian  Ferns  which 
will  prove  vastly  interesting,  not  only  to 
the  Indian  people,  but  to  the  botanist  of 
this  country. " 

Gardeners'  Chronicle. — "The  'Ferns 
of  India.'  This  is  a  good  book,  being  of 
a  useful  and  trustworthy  character.  The 
species  are  familiarly  described,  and  most 
of  them  illustrated  by  small  figures." 

Free  /"rcw. —  "  Those  interested  in 
botany  will  do  well  to  procure  a  new  work 
on  the  '  Ferns  of  British  India.'  The 
work  will  prove  a  first-class  text-book." 

Crown  8vo. ,  paper,  35.  6d.     Rs.  2.12. 

SUPPLEMENT  TO  THE 

FERNS    OF   INDIA,    CEYLON,   &c. 

By  Colonel  R.  BEDDOME,  F.S.I. 

Containing  Ferns  which  have  been  discovered  since  the  publication  ot   ".A  Haiul- 
book  to  the  Ferns  of  British  India." 


IV.    TH ACKER  Of    CO.,  LONDON. 


Dcnij'    8vo.,    clotli    gilt,    700    pages,    15.?.    net.       Rs.   10. 

FLORA   SIMLENSIS. 

A    HANDBOOK    OF    THE     FLOWERING     PLANTS     OF    SIMLA 
AND   NEIGHBOURHOOD. 

By  the  late  Col.  Sir  HENRY  COLLETT,  K.C.B.,  F.L.S.,  Bengal  Army. 


With  an  Introduction  by  W.  Botting  Hemsley,  F.R.S.,  F.L.S.,  of  the 
Royal  Gardens,  Kew  ;  and  200  Illustrations  in  the  text  drawn  by  Miss  M.  Smith, 
Artist  at  the  Herbarium,  Kew  Gardens  ;  and  a  Map. 

Demy  8vo.,  paper,  u.  net.     12  annas. 

CHRYSANTHEMUMS. 

A    HANDBOOK    FOR    AMATEURS    IN    INDIA. 
By  Mrs.  TEMPLE  WRIGHT. 


Royal  8vo.,  cloth,  800  pages,  yi.  id.  net.     Rs.  5. 

ROXBURGH'S    FLORA    INDICA. 

By  the  late  W.  ROXBURGH,  M.D.,  F.R.S.E.,  etc. 

BEING     A    COMPLETE     DESCRIPTION    OF     INDIAN    PLANTS. 

Reprinted  literatim  from  Gary's  Edition  of  1832,  and  being  the  only 
complete  handbook  of  Indian  Plants  obtainable. 

"The  Flora  Indica  of  Roxburgh  has  been  quoted  so  largely  and  widely  in 
botanic  literature  that  a  copy  is  essential  to  every  botanic  \\hx^xy."— Preface  by 
C.  B.  Clarke. 


TRACKER,  SPINK  &-  CO.,   CALCUTTA. 


37 


Second   Edition.       Demy   8vo.,    cloth,    300   pp.,    9^.    net.      Rs.   6. 

INDIAN    TEA: 

ITS    CULTURE    AND    MANUFACTURE. 

Being  a  Text-Book   on   the   Cultivation   and   Manufacture   of  Tea. 

By  CLAUD  BALD  {of  Lebong  Tea  Company,  Ltd.). 

Illustrated  from  Photographs  and  Drawings. 

CONTENTS.— Cultivation— Drain- 
age—  Pruning — Extension — •  Tea 
Seed — Preparation  of  Land  and 
Planting — Roads  —  Landslips — 
Manuring— Renovation  of  Dete- 
riorated Areas — Blights  — Forest- 
ry —  Manufacture  —  Plucking  — 
Withering — Rolling — Fermenta- 
tion— Firing  or  Drying — Sifting 
and  Sorting — Packing — Quality 
— Green  Tea — Buildings — Ma- 
chinery— Railways  and  Tram- 
ways —  Accoun  ts — The  Cooly — 
Appendix. 

Madras  Mail.  — "As  a  record 
of  the  experience  of  a  successful 
planter  it  is  sure  of  a  wide  circle 
of  readers. " 

Englishman. — "  It  is  fitted  to 
become  from  the  date  of  publica- 
tion the  book  upon  tea  cultivation 
and  manufacture." 

Extract  of  Letter  from  a  leading  firm   in   Calcutta. — "We   have  found   it 
very  interesting,   and   have  ordered    several   copies   for   the   use   of  our   various 
assistants ;    and   it  only  requires   to   become  better  known   to   be   more   widely 
,  circulated." 


^ 

^fr 

^^^*^iii&ito^ 

1! 

^W^t 

^ 

!^;^1 

I^^<% 

ti 

1 

iS^iM^.^^3^MI 

Demy  8vo. ,  paper,  is.  6d.  net.      Re.  1.8. 

THE  CULTIVATION  OF  FICUS  ELASTICA: 

THE    INDIA-RUBBER    OF    THE    EAST. 

By  CLAUD  BALD. 

Being  a  Handy  Treatise  on  the  Means  to  be  a(K)pted  by  those  who  cimlemplate 


\ 


entering  upon  the  Industry  of  raising  Plantation  Rubber. 
Illustrated  from  Photographs 


38  fV.  T HACKER  6-  CO.,  LONDON. 


Second  Edition.     Demy  8vo.  (700  pages),  cloth,  155.  net.     Rs.  10. 

HANDBOOK     OF     INDIAN 
AGRICULTURE, 

By  the  late  N.  G.  MUKERJI.  M.A.,  M.R.A.C.,  M.R,A.S., 

rrofessor  of  Agriculture,  Civil  Engineering  College,  Sibpur,  Bengal. 

With  numerous  Ilhcstrations. 

CONTENTS  :— Part  I.— Soils.  Part  II.— Implements.  Part  III.— Crops. 
Part  IV. — Manures.  Part  V. — Methods  of  Analysis.  Part  VI.— 
Cattle.  Part  VII. — Insects  and  Fungus  Pests.     Part  VIII. — Famines. 

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ordinary  cultivator. " 

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INDIAN    SERICULTURE. 

A  BIRD'S-EYE  VIEW. 

With    nnnterous   Illustrations. 

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Demy  Bvo. ,  stiff  paper  cover,  js.  6d.  net.      Re.  i. 

THE   MANGO: 

ITS    CULTURE    AND    VARIETIES. 

By  G.  MARSHALL  WOODROW, 

Formerly  Professor  of  Botany,  Royal  College  of  Science,  Poona. 

Royal  8vo.,  paper,  u.  6d.     Re.  i. 

HAND-LOOM    WEAVING 

FOR    INDIA. 

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INDIAN   TEA   ASSOCIATION:    MEMOIRS. 

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which  treat  of  Tea  Soils,    Fermentation,    Blight,   Pests,   Manuring,  Pruning,  etc. 
.Sent  on  application. 


THACKER,  SPINK  &^    CO.,    CALCUTTA.  39 


MEMOIRS    OF    THE    DEPARTMENT    OF 
AGRICULTURE    IN    INDIA, 

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Barber,  M.A.,  F.L.S.     45.  t,d.     Rs.  3. 
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Nicotiana    Rustica,   L.  :    Yellow-flowered     Tobacco.        By 

Albert   Howard,    M.A.,    A.R.C.S.,    F.L.S.,    Imperial 

Economic  Botanist ;  andCABRiELLE  L.  C.  HowAKD,  M.  A., 

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(/«  t/ie  />ress.) 

CHEMICAL    SERIES. 

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I   Walter  Leather.  I'll. D.,  F.C.S.     \s.  6d.     Re.  i. 
\o.  2.     The  Composition  of  Oil  Seeds.     By  J.  W.  Leather. 

I'h.D.,  F.C.S.     IS.  6d.     Re.  1, 


40  IV.  TRACKER  &>  CO.,  LONDON. 

MEMOIRS    OF    THE    DEPARTMENT    OF 
AGRICULTURE    IN    INDIA. 


CHEMICAL    ^YBl^^—contimied. 


No.  3.     The    Pot-Culture    House  at  the  Agricultural   Research 

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4.V.  6d.      Rs.  3. 
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2S.  -^d.      Re.  1.8. 
No.  5.     Construction  of    Rain    Gauges    at    Pusa.     By    M.    H. 

.Arnott,  M.lnst.C.E.,  with  a  Preface  by  J.  W.  Leather, 

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ENTOMOLOGICAL   SERIES. 

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B.A.     2f.  2d.     Re.  1.8. 
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ora,   Waterhouse  ;    with   Description   of  a  New  Species  of 

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No.  5.     The   Coccidae   attacking    the    Tea  Plant  in  India   and 

Cevlon.       By    F.    V..    Gkekn,    I-\E.S. ,    and    Hakoi.d    H. 

M.wx.  D.Sc.      If.  hd.      Re.  i. 
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F.Z.S..  and  C.  C.  Gho.sh,  B.A.      is.  6d.     Re.  i. 
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No.  6.     The   Cotton    Leaf  Roller.     By  H.   M.   Lkfrdv,   M.A., 

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No.  7,     Notes  on  Indian  Scale  Insects  (Coccidae).     By  II.  Ma.\- 

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TH ACKER,  SPINK  &-  CO.,   CALCUTTA.  41 


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ASTRONOMY 

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(Of  the  Royal  Observatory,  Greenwich). 


An    Introduction   to   the    Kno-wledge   of    the   Constellations,  and  to  the 
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Fully  Illustrated  with  Full-page  Plates,  and  with  Maps  and  Charts  for  Identifying 
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A  HANDBOOK  OF  PHOTOGRAPHY 
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Revised  and  brought  thoroughly  up-to-date.     This  edition  embodies  all  the  most 

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OLD  CHIPPED  STONES  OF  INDIA. 

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42  W.   THACKER  6-  CO.,  LONDON. 

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CONTENTS. — Introduction — The  Archaean — Oldest  .Sedimentary  System ■-- 
The  Kadapah  System — The  Vindhyan  System — Fossiliferous  Representatives  -1 
the  Cambrian  and  Silurian  Systems — Devonian  and  Lower  Carboniferous  Systems 
Geological  History  of  India  during  the  Upper  Carboniferous,  Permian  and  Mesozc  no 
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THACKER,  SPINK  &^    CO.,   CALCUTTA.  45 

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INDEX 


Agra,  Handbook 

Delhi,  etc..  Guide     . 

Agricultural  Dept.,  Memoirs  of 
Journal 

Aitken.     Tribes  on  my  Frontier 

Behind  the  Bungalow 

Naturalist  on  the  Prowl 

Ali,  Amir.  Ethics  of  Islam 
Aliph  Cheem.  Lays  of  Ind 
Allahabad,       Lucknow,       etc. 

Guide 
Amateur  Gardener  in  the  Hills 
Automatic  Vacuum  Brake 
Baker.     The  Indian  Ducks 
Bald.     Ficus  Elastica 

Indian  Tea   . 

Banting  Up-to-date  . 

in  India 

Barrow.    Sepoy  Officers'  Manual 
Beddome.     Handbook  to  Ferns 

and  Suppt. 
Bhattacharya.     Hindu  Castes 
Birch.    Children  in  India  . 
Blechynden.     Calcutta  Past  and 

Present 
Bose.     Hindoos  as  They  Are 
Buchanan.     Malarial  Fever 
Buck.     Simla  :  Past  and  Present 
Burke.       Everyday  Menus 

Shikar  Book 

Burrows.     Kashmir  En  Famille 
Busteed.         Echoes    from     Old 

Calcutta    . 

C ,  Major.     Horse  Notes 

■    Dog  Notes 

Calcutta,  Guide 

Illustrated  . 

Past  and  Present 

Racing  Calendar 

Turf  Club  Rules 

Came.     Simple  Menus 
CoUett.     Flora  Simlensis  . 
Cutcrewe.     Memsahib's  Cooker 

Cakes 


PAGE 

48 
48 
39 
54 
3 


Darjeeling,  Guide     . 
De  Bourbel.    Routes  in  Kashm 
Dewar.  Animals  of  no  Importance 
Dey.    Indigenous  Drugs  of  India 
Dogs  in  India,  "  Kader  " 

Notes  on,  Indian 

for  Hot  Climates 

Duke.     Banting  in  India  . 

Cholera 


12 

4 

48 

34 

4 

I,  26 

37 
37 
47 
47 
15 

35 
II 

44 


12 

43 
10 

30 
18 
49 

7 
27 
28 


8 
27 
27 
30 
36 
30 
30 


4 
45 
29 
28 
28 
47 
47 


Duke.     Kashmir  Guide     . 

Queries     at      a      Mess 

Table 
Empress,  The 
Ewens.     Insanity 
Ewing.     Photography 
Fay,  Mrs.     Letters  . 
Finn.     Birds  of  Calcutta 

Garden  and  Aviary  Birds 

Indian  Waders 

•  Waterfowl  of  India,  etc 

Firminger.   Manual  of  Gardening 
Forbes.     Simla  to  Shipki 
Gait.     History  of  Assam 
Ghosh.     Hand-Loom  Weavin 
Gordon-Forbes.    Simla  to  Shipki 


Gore.  Tour  to  the  Pindari  Glacier 
Grierson.  Kaithi  Character 
Hartly  House,  Calcutta  . 
Hearn.  Seven  Cities  of  Delhi  9,  48 
Heaton.  Medical  Hints  .  .46 
Hints  to  Young  Shikaris  .  .18 
Horse  Notes,  Indian  .  .  27 
Hyde.  Parish  of  Bengal  .  .  9 
Indian  and  Eastern  Engineer  .  54 
Cookery  Book       .          .      29 

Horse  Notes  .  .     27 

Medical  Gazette    .  .     54 

Notes  about  Dogs  .     28 

Tea     .         .  .         .     37 

•  Tea  Association  Memoirs 

38,  39 
Indo-Anglian  Literature    . 
James.    Cows  and  Poultry 

Mosquitoes 

Small-pox  . 

Jane.     Imperial  Russian  Navy 

Imperial  Japanese  Navy 

Permanent-Way  Pocket 


Jones 

Book         .  .  . 

"  Kader."     Dogs  in  India 
Kashmir  En  Famille 

and  Jammo,  Guide  to 

Routes  in    . 

Map  . 

Keene.    Handbook  to  Agra 

Handbook  to  Delhi 

Handbook  to  Allahabad 

Kelly.     Surveying    . 
Kennedy.     Great  Moghuls 
K.  Buksh.     Islamic  Civilisation 
Kinloch.     Large  Game  Shooting 

Russian  Grammar 


32 
44 
43 
14 
14 

42 
29 

49 
49 
48 
49 
48 
48 
48 
42 
12 
12 
17 
51 


56 


INDEX. 


Lays  of  Ind     ....  4 

Lefroy.      Indian  Insects     .          .  5 

Le  Messurier.     Birds,  (lame       .  20 

Logan.     Old  Chipped  Stones     .  41 

Lukis.     Elementary  Midwifery  .  46 

Lyon.     Medical  Jurisprudence   .  44 

Macfarlane.     Ilartly  House        .  8 

Mackay.       21  Days  in  India     .  2 

Macnaghten.   Common  Thoughts  6 

Martin.      Transport  of  Horses    .  14 
Maunder.     Astronomy       .          -41 
Maynard.      Ophthalmic    Opera- 
tions         .          .          .          -45 

Memsahib's  Book  of  Cakes         .  30 

Cookery  Book          .  30 

Moore.      Examination  of  Horses  27 

Mukerji.     Agriculture        .          .  38 

Sericulture        .          .  38 

Murray- Aynsley.       Hills  beyond 

Simla        .  .  .  -49 

Naval  Pocket  Book,  The             .  13 

Newman.      Aseptic  Surgery        .  43 

Norman.     Kazusa  System           .  42 

Nunn.     Stable  Management       .  27 

O'Donoghue.    Riding  for  Ladies  25 

Onoocool  Chunder  Mookerjee    .  6 

Pandit  Commercial  Hindustani  .  51 

Pearson  and  Byrde.     Sweets      .  31 

Bread,  Pastry,  etc.  31 

Invalid  Cookery  31 

Pillai.  Representative  Indians  12 
Pindari  Glacier,  Tour  to  .  -49 
Polo,  Station   .          .          .          -27 

Ponder.     Indian  Materia  Medica  45 

Poynter.    "  What  "  and  "  How"  30 

Ranking.    Preservation  of  Health  46 

Glossary,  Bagh-o-Bahar  50 

Urdu  Prose       .          .  50 

■ Guide  to  Hindustani  50 

Specimen  Papers         .  50 

Colloquial  Hindustani  50 

English       Hindustani 

Dictionaiy      .           .  50 

Roberts.     Enteric  Fever   .          .  43 

Roxburgh.     Flora  Indica  .          .  36 

Russell.     Bullet  and  Shot           .  16 

Sandberg.     Exploration  of  Tibet  10 

Sepoy  Officers'  Manual  .  •  ^5 
Shad  well.      Fortification    .          -15 

Notes      on      Military 

Law  .          .          •  ^i 

"  Shalot."    Things  for  the  Cook  31 


Shaw  and  Hayes.     Dogs  , 
Sherston.      N.  W.    Frontier 

Warfare    . 
Simla,  Guide  to 

Map  of 

Illustrated 

to  Shipki 

Hills  beyond 

Small.     Urdu  Grammar    . 

Anglo  -  Urdu     Medical 

Handbook 

Smith.     Cataract 
Staley.     Handbook  for  Wives 
Stebbing.     Insect  Intruders 
Sterndale.     Mammalia  of  India 

— Seonee  . 

Denizens  of  the  Jung 

Stewart.     Station  Polo 
Taylor.     Guide  to  Darjeeling 

Hotel  Guide 

Temple- Wright.  Baker  and  Cook 

Chrysantliemums 

— ■ Flowers  and  Gardens 

Thacker.     Calcutta  Directory 

Survey  Map  of  India 

Guide  to  Simla 

— — • Indian  Directory 

Directory      of     Chie 

Industries  in  India 

Map  of  Jummoo  an 

Kashmir 
Thomas.     Rod  in  India     . 
Tucker.     Plague  Epidemic 
Turnbull.      Fire  Tactics    . 
Tweed.   Canary-keeping    . 

Cow-keeping 

Poultry-keeping   . 

Ducks,  Geese,  etc. 

Tweedie.  Hindustani,  and  Key 
Tyacke.  Sportsman's  Manual 
Useful  Hints  to  Young  Shikaris 
Vaughan.  Pushto  Grammar 
Veterinary  Journal,  Tropical 
Vredenburg.  Geology 
Walker.  Angling  . 
Wheeler.       Tales     from    Indian 

History     . 
Wilkins.     Hindu  Mythology 

Modern  Hinduism 

Windsor.     Toxicology 
Woodrow.     The  Mango    . 
Young,     Carlsbad  Treatment 


PACK 

28 


49 

24 

47 
15 
33 
32 
32 
33 
50 
18 
\'6 
51 
54 
42 
24 

6 
II 
II 

45 
38 
46 


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